By John Goolsby, For the Tribune
CLAY – Redemption. That is the theme of the 2023 Clay-Chalkville Cougars. The 2022 season came to a premature end with a 7-6 upset loss to Parker in the first round of the playoffs.
The Cougars, 8-1 and ranked number two in 6A at the time, were looking for back-to-back state championships after claiming the 2021 title.
Clay-Chalkville enters this season loaded with talent on both sides of the ball. Six of the top 41 players in the state will be on the field for the Cougars this fall.
Clay will be led by five-star and Alabama commit Jaylen Mbakwe. The 5-foot-11, 171-pound Mbakwe, the number two player in the state, will be extremely busy on Friday nights playing quarterback, wide receiver, defensive back, and returning kicks.
Mbakwe has elite speed, 10.56 in the 100-meter dash, and won state championships last year in the 60m, 100m, 200m, and 4X100m relay.
Four-star JacQawn McRoy, a 6-foot-8, 365-pound tackle, will anchor the offensive line. McRoy, an Oregon commit, is ranked number eleven in the state.
Four-star Mario Craver will be a significant part of the offense. Craver, like Mbakwe, has blazing speed, 10.8 in the 100-meter dash. He finished fifth in 6A in the 100m and second in the long jump with a 23-1.5. Carver is the 17th-ranked player in Alabama and has narrowed his choices to Florida, Auburn and Ole Miss.
Three-star and Auburn commitment D’angelo “DJ” Barber will anchor the defense. The 6-foot-1, 225-pound linebacker led the Cougars with 145 tackles last year. Barber is ranked 29th in the state.
Kamari McClelland returns at quarterback for the Cougars. The three-star signal caller, ranked 37th in the state, holds offers from Auburn, Missouri, and Georgia Tech.
Parker transfer Tevis Metcalf is one of the top defensive backs in the state. The three-star has committed to Arkansas and will join his older brother in Fayetteville. Metcalf is ranked number 41 in the state.
Junior Aaron Osley will be returning as running back after a big sophomore season.
Senior defensive back Deion Gunn has been a rock in the Cougar secondary since 2021. He currently holds offers from Marshall, Southeastern Missouri, Austin Peay, Alabama A&M, UTC, UT Martin, and Alcorn State.
The Cougar coaching staff suspected that this senior class would make an impact. “We’ve known since seventh grade that this was going to be a really special group,” said Clay head coach Drew Gilmer.
“The leadership and the experience that this group brings is something that you don’t normally see at the high school level,” he said.
In the trenches, the Cougars return four starting offensive linemen and one starting defensive lineman.
Junior offensive lineman AJ Williams has received offers from Marshall, UNA, and Austin Peay.
Transfers will strengthen the Cougars. Seniors Rod and Carlos Ivy, Pinson transfers, will provide immediate help at the linebacker position.
Rod Ivy holds offers from Austin Peay, UTC, Alcorn State, and Southeastern Missouri.
The Cougars will face defending 7A state champion Thompson on September 28 in a nationally televised game on ESPN. Thompson has won the 7A title four years in a row.
The Cougars narrowly lost to the Warriors 17-14 last year.
The Cougars will be road warriors this season as they will only play two home games.
Gilmer and his staff continue to build on to one of the top programs in the state. “We try to show up every day and give these kids the best opportunity to win,” he said. “We want to do whatever we can to give these kids the best possible high school football experience.”
Clay opens the season on August 25th with a trip to Lions Pride Stadium to take on Briarwood Christian.