Bishop T.K. Gorman runs through Oklahoma drills on Thursday at McCallum Stadium in Tyler.

With a week of practices in the books, new Bishop Gorman football coach Daryl Hayes likes what he sees.

“We are steadily getting better,” said Hayes, who has 27 years of coaching experience, the last five as head coach at St. John’s Catholic Prep in Buckeystown, Maryland. “There is a lot of teaching right now.”

Hayes was brought in to reinvigorate the once proud program. The Crusaders last won a state title in 1995 and Hayes’ goal is to get the Cru into the win column after three victories the last couple of years.

A good sign is that Gorman has some 28 players out for the varsity, up from 17 last year, with possibly more in tow.

“Right now, we have 28 on the varsity,” Hayes said. “There are a few more in the admissions pipeline; those fellas aren’t in camp yet.”

Despite the heat, Hayes said the enthusiasm is high for his inexperienced team.

“We are young but improving,” he said. “The boys are eager and energized.”

Senior leaders include wide receiver/cornerback Maxwell Sobel, WR/outside linebacker Gabriel Paniagua, tight end/defensive end Jacob Favre and middle linebacker Alex Jackson.

Some of the junior standouts include offensive tackle/defensive tackle Josh Hayes, right tackle Matthew McKnight, center/DT Aidan Culpepper, OL/DL James Walcher and guard/DT Aaron Ekwuruke.

The Crusaders’ scrimmage is Thursday, Aug. 12 against the Carlisle Indians in Tyler. The scrimmage is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. at McCallum Stadium.

The regular season begins for BG on Aug. 27 when the Crusaders play host to Houston Northland. Kickoff is 7 p.m.

Gorman’s rivalry game is Oct. 29 against Tyler All Saints at the Crusaders’ home field.