Troy Trojans 2018 Football Preview
Opening Statement: The good news is that Neal Brown returns as head coach, as he is coming off an 11-2 season and a 1st place finish in the Sun Belt standings. He was one of the best G5 coaches in the nation not pilfered by a larger school, and frankly I am shocked that he remains at Troy. The bad news is that he has to return to coach a team without his best weapons on offense in Brandon Silvers and Jordan Chunn, and returns just 2 skill set players from last season. With a ton of holes on both sides of the football to worry about in August, the time has come to test the mettle of Brown's overall recruiting abilities and see if he is building a foundation, or was maybe just a flash in the pan.
Breakdown Offense: It's time for Kaleb Barker to step up and shine at QB for Troy. He completed 8/13 passes last season as the understudy to Silvers, and his time is now as a junior. He has completed 11 total passes in 2 years, and he will be asked to, at the very least, be a game manager that does not turn the football over or make game killing mistakes. If he cannot win out in camp, Sawyer Smith gets a shot at the job.
With Chunn gone at RB, the job likely falls to Jamarius Henderson, a junior. He rushed just 45 times as a sophomore, but showed big play ability with an average of 7.89 yards per carry. If he can become a home run threat on the field as a regular, that takes all of the pressure off of the new QB, but if the new QB fails to get things rolling and keep things honest, Henderson could run into a brick wall. JC transfer Kevin Perkins will have his shot at some carries as well, and BJ Smith, a junior, could fill out the group, despite having just 27 carries last season.
Receiver should be a decent spot for the Trojans heading into camp, as 2 starters return in Deondre Douglas and Damion Willis. Douglas caught 48 passes for 628 yards last fall, and averaged 13.08 yards per catch. Willis caught 42 passes for 620 yards and averaged 14.76 yards per catch. They combined for 7 TD receptions. Sidney Davis is expected to step into the 3rd receiver role, but caught just 8 passes in 13 games as a junior. The bad news here is that the Trojans lose 4 of the top 7 pass catchers from a year ago, so there is little depth.
Gabe Hill is the starter at TE, but caught just one pass last season, and is basically a 3rd tackle in this offense.
The Trojans line may be the strength of the offense in 2018, as 4 starters return in Kirk Kelley (LT), Deontas Crumitie (C), Tristan Crowder (RG), and J.I. Gaston (RT). Dylan Bradshaw, a senior, brings program experience to the RG spot. James Peach, a junior, could find himself in the mix for that OG spot as well, but also could bring depth to the interior or at Tackle. Zach Banner and Dylan Bradshaw bring depth at C and G, and should help make this the best line in the Sun Belt this fall.
Breakdown Defense: Vic Koenning's defense was the best in the Sun Belt last fall, and ranked 24th overall nationally in total defense. That said, there are plenty of holes to fill heading into fall camp, especially on the line, where just one starter returns in NG Trevon Sanders. He was good for 5 TFLs last fall, andanchors a defense that ranked 7th nationally last fall against the run. Zo Bridges is penciled in to start at DE, and should blow up this fall after recording 6 TFLs last fall as a rotational end. Marcus Webb is slated to start at DT, and totaled 8.5 TFLs, so even with new names in full time starting spots, the experience and depth remains the same. Antione Barker fills in at both DE and DT and added another 6.5 TFLs last fall.
Hunter Reese is back for his senior season at the BANDIT position, which is a hybrid LB/S spot. He led the team with 14 TFLs last fall, and added 6.5 sacks, and 35 total tackles. Tron Folsom is the returning starter at LB in the 3-3-5 defense, and he led the team with 80 tackles, adding 9 TFLs, 3 PBUs, and 2 QB hurries. AJ Smiley is the penciled in new starter at LB, but he recorded just 10 tackles last fall. Justin Whisenhunt could also be in the mix up against Smiley in camp. Zo Bridges brings a decent backup at BANDIT, while Kevin Nixon brings some depth to the overall LB group.
The secondary returns just 2 of 5 starters this fall in CB Blace Brown and S Cedarius Rookard. Both are seniors. Brown totaled 6 PBUs, and a team leading 5 INTs last fall, and should be a pre-season All-Sun Belt pick. Rookard picked off 2 passes, forced 2 fumbles, and totaled 74 tackles, good for 2nd on the team. Marcus Jones fits into the open CB spot, as he totaled 6 PBUs as a freshman last fall, with 2 INTs. Tyler Murray is the new NB heading into fall camp. He picked off a pass and forced 2 fumbles in 13 games as a freshman last fall. Melvin Tyus is the likely new starter at the open S spot. He played in 13 games as a sophomore last fall. Jawon McDowell is the likely 3rd CB, while Adarius Wesley backs up at Safety.
Breakdown Special Teams: Tyler Sumpter is back and will handle both PK an P this fall after hitting 7/9 FG attempts last season, and averaging 40 yards per punt.
Marcus Jones is one of the best return men in the game, and returned 3 kicks for scores last fall while averaging 30.3 yards per return. He also averaged 9.31 yards per punt.
Final Analysis: The holes on offense are a bit more concerning than most on defense, as the defensive holes could be plugged by experienced players who are now getting a bigger break or role than they had a year ago, and so depth is paying off, with room to spare on that side of the football. Troy should not slip far defensively, and maybe won't at all. Offensively, with both a new QB and RB, and 4 of their top 7 receivers gone, the Trojans will have to get someone to step up in each of these areas in a big way, and that is asking more. The line should be one of the best in the Sun Belt, and they may have to work harder this year than last, when they only allowed 15 sacks on the season. In short, Troy should be good enough once again to be one of the top 3 teams in the conference, but pushing for a repeat conference title may be asking a lot. Still, it's hard to count them out.
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