Troy loads up on midyear line signees

Troy finalized its midyear recruiting with the signing of offensive tackle Tyler Graves, who had originally committed to Memphis. Graves, a native of Sumrall, Miss., was at Florida State for two seasons (redshirted in 2006) and at Pearl River (Miss.) Community College this fall. He will enroll for the spring semester and challenge for a spot at tackle.

Graves visited Troy in November and later committed to Memphis, but right before the midyear signing day (Dec. 17), he changed his mind. He took his official visit to Troy for the UL-Lafayette game, a 48-3 win by Troy, on Nov. 22.

“I had a little change of heart,“ Graves said. “I wanted to go somewhere where I could win a championship. I got to thinking about it and the coaches (at Troy) really cared for me. The coaches at Memphis did too, but I really felt like Troy was a better fit for me.“

Graves, who said he was listed at 6-foot-6 and 280 pounds, will challenge for a spot at tackle after the losses of Chris Jamison and Dion Small to graduation. He could also play guard, and even played center in the Mississippi JUCO championship game after the starting center got hurt.

Graves signed with Florida State out of high school and was humbled from going to junior college, but is ready to get going at Troy.

“It was tough going from a high-level Division 1 team like Florida State and stepping down in the ranks to JUCO,“ Graves said. “But I feel like I’m ready to go now and get back to a Division 1 school with a great workout program, work hard and win a championship.“

Graves is familiar with Troy. He was redshirting in 2006 when Troy gave FSU a scare. The Trojans led FSU 3-0 at halftime but FSU came back for a 24-17 win.

“The only time I ever heard (FSU head coach) Bobby Bowden curse was at halftime when we played Troy,“ Graves said. “We went into halftime and he said, ‘(Expletive) it boys, we’ve got to score some points.‘“ Honestly, I had never heard of Troy before that day.“

Graves is one of three offensive tackles who signed with Troy during the midyear term. He will have two years to play two. James Brown (SW Miss. CC) will come in as a sophomore with four years to play three, and Ray Carter (Garden City, Kan., CC) will come in as a junior.

On defense, Troy signed defensive tackles Riley Flowers (Jones County Miss. CC) and Emmanuel Dudley (NE Miss CC) and cornerback Demarcus Robertson (Garden City CC). Robertson signed with Troy last year, but had to finish off coursework in junior college before he could enroll.

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Jason Bruce, WR, Copiah-Lincoln, Miss., CC SIGNED LETTER OF INTENT
James Brown, OT, SW Mississippi CC SIGNED LETTER OF INTENT
Tyler Graves, OT, Pearl River Mississippi CC SIGNED LETTER OF INTENT
Ray Carter, OT, Garden City CC SIGNED LETTER OF INTENT
Jay Stansberry, OT, Bremen, Ga.
Cody Jenkins, OT, Beauregard, Ala.
Nate Newland, OT, Hutchinson, Kan. CC
Demond Dennis, RB, Atlanta, Ga.
Jimbo Arnold, OG, Belle Glade, Fla. (2008 GRAYSHIRT)
Felton Payton, WR, Fort Walton Beach, Fla. (2008 GRAYSHIRT)
Gavin Ellis, WR/TE, Cullman, Ala. (2008 GRAYSHIRT)
Corey Robinson, QB, Lone Oak, Ky., (2008 GRAYSHIRT)

Emmanuel Dudley, DT, Northeast Miss., CC SIGNED LETTER OF INTENT
Riley Flowers, DT, Jones County Miss. CC SIGNED LETTER OF INTENT
Demarcus Robertson, DB, Garden City, CC (2008 RESIGN) SIGNED LETTER OF INTENT
Eugene Kinlaw, DT, Hutchinson, Kan. CC
Montavious Williams, DT, Cairo, Ga.
Jonathan Massaquoi, DE, Butler County CC
Shermane Teart, DE, Orlando, Fla.
Johnny Thompson, LB, Valley, Ala. (2008 GRAYSHIRT)

**Bear in mind that these commitments are verbal and are non-binding until National Signing Day, the first Wednesday in February.
The players with SIGNED LETTER OF INTENT by their names are midyear enrollees and should be eligible for 2009 spring practice.