ROCHELLE — Hubs varsity football coach Kevin Crandall has seen several talented teams pass through the Rochelle Township High School program, but this year’s bunch could be the best he’s coached in quite some time.

The Hubs kicked off their annual padded football camp Monday morning, with freshman, sophomore and varsity players suiting up in full gridiron gear for contact drills and other schematic exercises. Crandall said he’s been impressed with the program’s depth this summer, and that his players are showing glimpses of the 2011 football team that finished 8-4 and advanced to the quarterfinal round of the IHSA Class 5A Playoffs.

“They’ve done a great job,” Crandall said. “The kids have been looking forward to a little bit of contact and it lets up go from working on plays to focusing more on technique and the skills they need to actually play. That’s what we’ll be working on a lot over these next eight days.”

The Hubs appear to be ahead of schedule as they continue their surge toward the new season. But while Crandall admitted that his players are further along than they’ve been in years past, he said he’s aiming to use the extra practice time to hammer down basic skills and introduce some new concepts to his players.

“It gives us a chance to add a few things and it gives us more time to work on fundamentals,” Crandall said. “If we’re not teaching them plays or teaching them defenses, then we’re teaching them fundamental skills they have to have to be successful.”

Last year’s squad featured plenty of backfield depth, but this year's bunch will have numbers in the trenches on both sides of the ball. Several offensive linemen are returning from 2016, and for a team that heavily relies on running the football, Crandall said the team’s size up front could be a big strength this fall.

Notable returners from the varsity team include All-Conference linemen Kyle Eyster and James Kerfin, while rising juniors Will Jandak and James Hart could become impact players after playing primarily with the sophomore team last season.

“The skill kids will have to stay healthy, but up front we have as much depth as we’ve had in a while,” Crandall said. “A few of the seniors who didn’t have as good of an offseason as we would’ve liked last year have really stepped up. They’ve had a great offseason and they’ve provided a lot of leadership.”

The padded camp will continue throughout the week, with intensity levels expected to ramp up as the Hubs inch closer to the start of the new school year. For Crandall, he said that refining techniques will be the biggest point of emphasis as Rochelle wraps up the week.

“We’re going from teaching the offense and defense to working on shedding blocks and tackling form,” Crandall said. “Blocking and getting off blocks. Just fundamental skills you can’t simulate unless you have pads on.”