Fivay has plenty of holes to plug after a 6-4 season, losing all-North Suncoast quarterback Tyler Degen, star receiver Andrew Meyer and key parts of the offensive line.
All of these questions fade to the background once you talk to coach Chris Taylor about his starting tailback.
Rising senior Davion Sutton seemingly came out of nowhere to rush for 1,147 yards and 16 total touchdowns last fall. Sutton has a rare combination of speed and grit that makes him ideal to create yardage on his own. He has a stranglehold on the position barring injury and should be one of spotlight players on the North Suncoast come the fall.
Some other running backs worth following this spring:
Marcus Allen, Weeki Wachee: As a sophomore, he led the Hornets with 551 yards. And with a name like that, he has to be a good rusher, right?
Willie Barrett, Anclote: The bruising Division-I prospect plowed through tacklers for 1,400 yards as a junior. He could be one of Tampa Bay’s top rushers this fall.
Devon Brockington, Zephyrhills: With Willie Williams gone, the 5-foot-10 speedster will likely improve on a 430-yard junior season.
Connor Flournory and Jaquan Clower, Pasco: The Pirates graduate all-Suncoast star David Emmanuel and have a hole in the backfield. Flournory and Clower, along with Brandon Debyah, are some candidates to fill that void.
Christian Trinidad, Mitchell: Injuries limited him to only eight games as a junior, but he still led the Mustangs with 785 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns.
Daniel Wright, Springstead: Wright had a breakout sophomore season with 700 rushing yards and a team-best 10 TDs. He’ll be one of the Eagles’ stars in a loaded backfield.
By the numbers: Nature Coast
67 Players present for the first day of spring practice
80 Players expected out by the end of spring
8 Players with legitimate, previous experience on varsity
3,170 Rushing yards the past three falls for graduating RB Matt Breida, who signed with Georgia Southern
11 Combined offers for senior DE Rohan Blackwood and junior WR Jonathan Thomas
10 Touchdowns scored by returning players last season
Audibles
“This may be one of the most talented teams I’ve ever coached, but at the same time in 18 years of coaching, I don’t think I’ve ever been around a younger team.” — NCT coach Charles Liggett
“It seems like it’s just a different attitude for the guys. A lot of the seniors are starting to step up. We’re starting to get that senior leadership, which we desperately needed last year.” — Hernando coach Dwayne Mobley
Photo: Fivay's Davion Sutton
Times correspondent Derek J. LaRiviere contributed to this report