HUNTSVILLE — Connell Maynor is not the type of shy away from high expectations.

Throughout the offseason, the message from Alabama A&M's second-year football coach has been consistent:

The Bulldogs are building a championship program.

In Maynor's debut season, Alabama A&M established a strong foundation for reaching its lofty goals. Now the program believes its poised to take the next step.

Alabama A&M is putting the finishing touches on what the coaching staff says has been a productive spring, and the Bulldogs are set to take the field for the annual Maroon and White spring game, which is scheduled for March 30 at 2 p.m.

"Spring football is coming along nicely," Maynor said. "It's been a productive couple of weeks and I like the way the team has been progressing."

When the team returns from spring break on Monday, Alabama A&M will begin its final week of spring practice. At the end of the week, the coaching staff will conduct a draft to create the two teams from the Maroon and White game.

"And that's something the players, and even the coaches, really enjoy," Maynor said. "These guys work hard during spring ball. They've been getting after each other on the practice field. Now they get an opportunity to split up on teams and compete in a game-like atmosphere at the stadium with our fans watching."

Alabama A&M finished last season with a 6-5 record — the program's best finish in six years.

With several prominent playmakers returning from that team, including All-American linebacker Armoni Holloway and second-team all-conference quarterback Aqeel Glass, Alabama A&M expects to be a contender for the Southwestern Athletic Conference title.

As a sophomore last season, Glass passed for 2,421 yards and 20 touchdowns, while Holloway led the Bulldogs with 108 tackles, including seven tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.

Alabama A&M returns eight starters on offense, so this spring, the coaching staff has put an emphasis on establishing depth, especially on the offensive line and the receiver positions.

The Bulldogs return last season's two leading receivers in Brian Jenkins Jr. and Zabrian Moore, but lost a couple of playmakers through attrition.

"We've used this as an opportunity to develop our younger players," Maynor said. "Everyone is getting reps, trying to win a spot on the field this fall. You can't win a scholarship during spring practice, but you can win a starting job. That's what our guys are trying to do.

"I like the competition. We've seen a lot of good things."

Defensively, Alabama A&M returns six starters from a unit that was among the SWAC's best.

During the offseason, Alabama A&M hired Granville Eastman as the program's new defensive coordinator. The Bulldogs have used spring practice as an opportunity for Eastman to install the program's new 4-2-5 defensive scheme.

"The transition to our new defensive system has gone well," Maynor said. "The scheme is a good fit for our personnel. Those guys have been flying around making plays, and I know they're ready to get on the field (in the spring game)."