Trojans’ Ware returns to football

TROY — Kenny Ware would come to Troy football games the past two seasons, remembering the good ol’ days when he was a star wide receiver in high school.

Then, he was a forward on the basketball team, scoring about six or seven points per game but making his mark as the team’s emotional leader. He thought football was in his past.

“My basketball teammates were telling me I should go out for the team,” Ware said. “Then coach (Neal) Brown gave me a call. I went out and ran some routes this spring and they gave me a chance to try out for the team.”

Ware completed his eligibility in basketball last season after two years in junior college followed by two years at Troy, but with the five years to play four years in a single sport, he still had one year left to play football.

So Ware, who starred for four seasons for Dougherty High School in Albany, Ga., is giving football a try. The 6-foot-5, 225-pound Ware will wear No. 81 this fall. Coaches haven’t seen him practice, but he’s built a rapport with the quarterbacks, including starter Levi Brown.

“Levi has an arm,” Ware said. “He’s tall and he can see me and I can see him. We’ve been hooking up pretty good in pass skel.”

Ware was actually recruited by several ACC schools — Clemson, Florida State, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech and Duke — and Marshall of Conference USA. But after he broke his collarbone, he thought basketball was the best fit.

Ware had a decent basketball career, but the more he thinks about it, football seems better. He said he’d rather score a touchdown than hit six straight 3-pointers like he did last year in a win at South Alabama.

“The crowd goes crazy when you score a touchdown,” Ware said. “I’m more excited about playing football for the school than basketball. I wish I could have played football all four years in college.”

Ware said he’s still learning the playbook, but the other intangibles should be there.

“The biggest thing will be getting my timing back down and remembering how to run the routes,” Ware said. “As far as catching, running and jumping, I’ve still got that. I took a lot of licks in high school, but I was much smaller then. I’m big enough to take all the shots now.”

Ware’s size will give him a good chance for playing time as an outside receiver. He’ll battle senior Zack Marcum, junior Tebiarus Gill, sophomore Chip Reeves and freshman Josh Jarboe for snaps. Neal Brown said an ideal role would be having Ware as a goal-line threat.

“That’s all we did in high school was throw me the fade route,” Ware said. I’d just go up and get it.”

Ware isn’t the only two-sport athlete on the 105-man roster. Troy had its reporting day Thursday and will start practice Sunday. Andrew York, a former baseball pitcher, is a linebacker on the roster and participated in spring practice. Stanley Arukwe is coming to Troy from Modesto (Calif.) Junior College to run track, but looking to make it as a defensive back. Ware and York are seniors while Arukwe is a sophomore.

Other notes: Two freshmen — running back Greg Pratt and safety Bradley Wallace — were on the cusp as far as qualifying went, but both made it and are on campus. Junior college transfers Eugene Kinlaw (DT), Jonathan Massaquoi (DE) and Nate Newland (OT) should be ready for practice Sunday. Neal Brown said that of the freshmen, quarterback Corey Robinson, wideouts Felton Payton and Gavin Ellis and offensive lineman Cody Jenkins are slated to redshirt. Troy players will go through media training today and have photo day done on Saturday.

JUCO teammates commit to Troy: Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College teammates Greg Jenkins and Brett Moncrief committed to sign with Troy. Jenkins is a 6-foot-2, 210-pound quarterback and Moncrief a 6-foot-4, 200-pound wide receiver.

“The deal was that I was going to commit if he committed,” Jenkins said. “I beat him to the punch. I called and committed and then called him and he committed.”

Jenkins completed 71 percent of his passes last year for 1,407 yards, 14 touchdowns and just four interceptions. Moncrief, the son of former NBA star Sidney Moncrief, caught 14 passes for 256 yards and two scores despite missing nearly half the season with a high ankle sprain.

The two are expected to enroll in January, though Troy must hold off stiff competition. Southern Miss is recruiting Jenkins while Oklahoma State signed and placed Moncrief and is still recruiting him.

The duo becomes the 10th and 11th commitments for the next season.