Kam McGee, recently named the top junior prospect in the country, leads No. 2 Brother Rice’s title defense

It didn’t require the trained eye of a football coach or a prospect analyst to appreciate Brother Rice edge rusher Kameron McGee’s defensive dominance last season.

McGee led the Crusaders to the Class 7A state title as a sophomore, finishing with 54 tackles, 21 tackles for loss and 10½ sacks. He was a force in the championship-game shutout of rival St. Rita with six tackles, four tackles for loss and two sacks.

McGee (6-4, 240 pounds) still has two years of high school football to play and is already one of the most impactful defensive players in state history.

During the summer, 247Sports.com named McGee the No. 1 prospect in the country in the junior class. He’s a top-25 prospect by the overall consensus, but he already has scholarship offers from 44 colleges, including Notre Dame, Alabama, Georgia and most of the Big Ten schools.

‘‘Whenever anyone asked a question about Kam last year, I said he was the best player in the country,’’ Brother Rice coach Casey Quedenfeld said. ‘‘That hasn’t changed. He does a tremendous job. He’s a really good teammate and has taken an active role in leading guys now. When you are a sophomore, you are kind of figuring things out.’’

The Crusaders’ starting defense allowed only 5.7 points per game last season, but Notre Dame recruit Brayden Parks (6-3, 305) is the only other starter returning.

‘‘There are a bunch of young guys that are going to have to step up,’’ McGee said. ‘‘But we are really good where we are. [Parks] and I are leading the troops.’’

Brother Rice opens the season at No. 2 in the preseason Super 25, which might be high for a team with so few returning starters. Wide receiver Lucas Strang and lineman Ethan Posey (6-4, 290) are the only full-time starters back on offense.

But there is Power Four talent all over the field. Safety Jonathan Harris has committed to Iowa. Running back Jameson Davis is an Army recruit. Tight end Jack McNamara has scholarship offers from Notre Dame, Ohio State and more. Sophomore offensive lineman CJ Anderson (6-7, 320) is a blossoming prospect.

The Crusaders’ offensive line is the largest in school history. Quedenfeld still is figuring out the right starting mix, but there are multiple options, including three transfers from DePaul Prep: brothers Carlos and Lucas Rios and Daniel DeSouza.

The plan heading into the season is to play two quarterbacks: senior Rocco Galasso and freshman Sam Holcomb, who already has a scholarship offer from Michigan.

‘‘We’ve seen great things from both quarterbacks,’’ Davis said. ‘‘Rocco has been with me since I was a freshman, so I have known what he can do. Sam is just a great all-around talent. He’s a smart kid. When we are in the film room, he is breaking things down as quickly as I am. He has notes on the first game already, every player. It is fun to see him take on something as such a young player. Not many kids can do that as a freshman.’’

Quedenfeld won a state title in his fifth year at Brother Rice. It was a titanic accomplishment for a school that historically had played third fiddle to Mount Carmel and St. Rita in its own backyard. And Marist had been surging for years, as well.

‘‘When I came here, they told me Brother Rice was a powerhouse,’’ Quedenfeld said. ‘‘I looked at the record books, and Brother Rice was not a powerhouse. And that’s OK. Now we are headed toward where we want to go. We can’t worry about what everyone else says about us. We happened to have a really good team last year, and we hope we are on the way this year. But it’s a work in progress.’’