Roswell has gotten themselves back to their normal winning ways under Head Coach John Ford. Ford's been the head coach for three seasons now and has an overall record of 26-11.
Last season Roswell finished 14-1 after falling to Colquitt County in the state championship, just five years after the Hornets went 0-10. Prior to Ford taking over the program, the team had not had a winning season since 2010. Last season Roswell jumped up into the national rankings for a couple of weeks in the Top 25. Entering the season this year, Roswell is ranked No. 7 in the nation and No. 2 in the state according to the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 poll.
Last season Roswell had a historic dominance over the All-Region 5-AAAAAA team, earning 12 first teamers to pair with three second teamers and three Honorable Mention selections. Coach Ford won Region Coach of the Year and standout linebacker Tre Lamar won Defensive Player of the Year.
The team loses 16 seniors from 2015. The key contributors lost from last season include Tre Lamar (four-star, Clemson), linebacker/defensive end Tyrone Hopper (three-star, UNC), safety Marcelino Ball (three-star, Indiana), quarterback Quintarius Neely (Tuskegee), offensive tackle Jared Lyons (University of the South), offensive guard Cam Whiteman (three-star, Harvard), slot/returner Myles Blouin (Pikeville), running back/slot Kendrick Jackson (VMI) and center Will Stapelfeldt (West Alabama).
Coach Ford has a plethora of talent returning this season on ball sides of the ball however. On the offensive side returns tight end Tyneil Hopper, three-star running back Sheldon Evans, three-star wide receiver Jayden Comma, offensive tackle Jordan Tucker(three-star, Tennessee), three-star athlete Corey Reed and athlete Malik Willis (three-star, Virginia Tech).
The Hornet defense that allowed 12.2 points per game returns linebacker Sam Diroberto, two-star defensive end Koby Cumberlander, three-star cornerback Justus Harris, cornerback LeAnthony Williams, Jr. (four-star, Clemson) and four-star safety Xavier McKinney.
Roswell's secondary will be one of the most feared in the state of Georgia. Between the three returning defensive backs, they combined for over 15 interceptions in 2015, McKinney with a team-leading nine while Harris defensed 20. McKinney ranked second on the team in tackles with 111, shy of Lamar's 139 mark.
The front-seven should have no problem dominating with Cumberlander returning for his senior season. Cumberlander recorded a team-high 15 sacks while rising senior Max Boyd placed third with eight sacks behind Lamar's 10. Diroberto can rush from his linebacker position at times as well and tallied 69 stops last year.