Good story on former Trojan Steve McLendon

July 28, 2009

By Drew Champlin

Our Dale County reporter, Ebony Horton, caught up with former Trojan DL Steve McLendon as he was speaking to a group of students.

HERE is the story.

McLendon signed a free agent deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers and is still hanging on. From what I’ve heard, he’s doing quite well.

Lake City, Fla., linebacker commits to Troy

By Drew Champlin

Troy now has its ninth commitment for the 2010 signing class when linebacker Brach Bessant (Columbia HS, Lake City, Fla.,) said he would sign with Troy.

Bessant, who is originally from Phenix City, moved to Lake City in 2001 and wanted to get back to the area. He has some hunting land near Troy and has relatives in Alabama.

“My stepdad went to Troy and I love the state of Alabama,“ Bessant said. “I wanted to make my way back and felt like it would be a good fit.“

Bessant took an unofficial visit to Troy last week and met with head coach Larry Blakeney and linebackers coach Benjy Parker and took a tour of the campus. He committed early because he didn’t want to miss out on a great opportunity, he said.

“Coach Parker said early on they were just going to take one high school linebacker,“ Bessant said. “He said I was the first one they offered but they had offered some other linebackers in south Florida but they were going to take the first one that committed. I couldn’t pass up this opportunity.“

“I’m probably done (with recruiting). I’m true to my word.“

Bessant plays middle linebacker and fullback for his high school team, but his future at Troy is likely at middle linebacker.

“I’m a real competitive guy,“ Bessant said. “I’ll start yelling a lot. I like to stop the runner at the middle but in my opinion, I can step outside (the box) and stop him too. I run a 4.6.“

Bessant, who said he was 6-foot-1 and 225 pounds, had an offer from East Carolina and was receiving interest from UCF, Auburn, Tennessee, Clemson, Middle Tennessee and others.

2010 Troy commitments
Luke Barnes (QB, Fort Walton Beach, Fla.)
Dalton Bennett (OL, Marianna, Fla.)
Tommy Stephens (DL, Marianna, Fla.)
Dantavious Jeffery. (DE, Douglasville, Ga.)
Brach Bessant, (LB, Lake City, Fla.)
Joe Lofton, (DB, Fort Walton Beach, Fla.)
Teavis Durgin (OL, Coffeyville CC, Kan.)
Talris Brown (LB, Coffeyville CC, Kan.)
Aaron Ward (DB, Hutchinson CC, Kan.)

6 redshirts to watch this year

By Drew Champlin

Here is a list of six redshirts to watch this year as they step into prime roles

1 - KEVIN DIXON - DT - Dixon, a 6-foot-2, 265-pound transfer from Nebraska, steps into a starting role for his senior season. He played a good bit as a junior at Nebraska, but sat out at Troy last year because of transfer rules. Believe I read somewhere that, “If you can start at Nebraska, you can dominate in the Sun Belt.“ Coaches feel like Dixon can do just that. Defensive coordinator Jeremy Rowell raved about him after spring practice, and if healthy, Dixon can have an all-conference season.

2 - JOSH JARBOE - WR - The most heralded of Trojan players who have yet to play a down of college football, Jarboe’s size and playmaking ability could have him as one of the league’s best receivers from the start. The redshirt year was good for him to learn the game, and while he’s listed as a backup now, he’ll play a lot and catch a lot of passes.

3 - TEBIARUS GILL - WR - Gill was thought to be the replacement for Gary Banks last year, but didn’t pick up on things right away. He used last year as a redshirt and performed very well in the spring and is the likely starter at the X-receiver spot. He’s also a taller guy at 6-foot-1. With him and Jarboe on the outside and Jerrel Jernigan inside with Cornelius Williams, who do you double? Gill and Jarboe could be the big offensive boost Troy didn’t have last year - size on the outside.

4 - KYLE WILBORN - OT - Here’s the funny story on how he was recruited. Here’s the reality - the 6-foot-4 redshirt freshman will likely be the starter at right tackle this year after Nic Riley was declared academically ineligible. Coaches like Wilborn’s frame and strength and project him to fulfull the potential he has, but they probably weren’t counting on him this year. But, it’s not a bad thing to get continuity at one position.

5 - BRYAN WILLIS - CB - The redshirt freshman came out of spring as the surprising winner of a 3-way battle with JUCO transfer DeMarcus Robertson and sophomore KeJuan Phillips as the starting cornerback opposite Jorrick Calvin. Robertson has since left the team, but Willis will have to hold off highly-regarded JUCO transfer Barry Valcin in August. No doubt he’ll get tested early and often as the young guy when the season starts.

6 - DAVID MCDOWELL - OLB - It’s not often that a senior gets asked to redshirt, but McDowell sat out last year because playing time behind Terence Moore just wasn’t there. McDowell will take over in that linebacker/nickel hybrid spot and he’s got the size and ability to where if he has a good year this season, that could parlay into a job with a pro franchise next year.

Some other guys to watch include Mario Addison, who redshirted last year after coming from JUCO. “Super Mario” was a stud running back in high school, but moved to DE in JUCO and still had to learn the position. Despite star power in front of him, Addison, as well as redshirt sophomore RJ Roberts (missed last year to academics), have a chance to get some playing time this year and lay the groundwork for the future. Redshirt freshman James Searcy should see time in the defensive tackle rotation. On offense, coaches want redshirt freshman Jacob Creech to be able to provide depth on the offensive line. Redshirt freshman walk-on running back D.J. Taylor got a look during spring and impressed. He’ll fill the role that Sean Dawkins had from 2003-07. Tight end Donnie Crosby was academically ineligible last year but he’s in the mix for playing time.

Offense, version 2010

July 26, 2009

By Drew Champlin

A while back, we looked way ahead to the 2010 defense, noting the possibility of replacing 10 starters.

The offense shouldn’t miss a beat, even with a change at the quarterback spot. Here’s what you could see next season. Players are listed based on who is here on campus. Potential recruits aren’t factored in.

QB - Jamie Hampton (Jr.)
RB - DuJuan Harris (Sr.)
WRH - Jerrel Jernigan (Sr.)
WRZ - Josh Jarboe (So.)
WRY - Austin Silvoy (Sr.)
WRX - Tebiarus Gill (Sr.)
TE - Matt Stidham (Jr.) or Donnie Crosby (Sr.)
LT - James Brown (Jr.)
LG - Jacob Creech (So.) or Tyler Graves (Sr.)
C - Tyler Clark (Sr.)
RG - Micah Grimes (Jr.)
RT - Kyle Wilborn (So.) or Nate Newland (Sr.)

We’ll assume Jamie Hampton becomes the starter next season, which he should barring a setback. His competition will come from Tanner Jones (Sr.), Corey Robinson (RFr.) and Dan Parker (Jr. or RSo.). Finding a top backup for DuJuan Harris will be critical. There will be plenty of options at wide receiver, as others include Jason Bruce (Sr.) and Chip Reeves (Jr. or RSo.). On the offensive line, Tyler Clark will move to center. The guard positions will be hard to predict. Tyler Graves could move inside, or even a youngster like Jay Stansberry (RFr.) could challenge. I’d expect some midterm JUCOs to be signed and challenge.

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Football camp starts less than a week after you’re reading this post. Reporting day is Thursday. First practice Aug. 2. Full pads Aug. 6. First scrimmage Aug. 8.

Tuesday, I’ll have six redshirts you should pay close attention to. Wednesday, five newcomers to watch.

Follow me on facebook and twitter for quick updates.

Troy trustees approve $63 million bond issue

July 25, 2009

By Drew Champlin

Just taking this from the AP release. I told you earlier about Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood being the lead architect, will be on the golf course and the arena hoping to be ready for 2011-12 season. It’s been a busy week at the Dothan Eagle, with two guys on vacation and a million other things going on, so I’ve been a little slow with some Troy stuff for the past couple of days, but that’ll change next week.

From what I can tell, this was just a formality, and I’m not too sure how different it was than the similar news that came out in May
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Troy trustees approve $63 million bond issue

  TROY— Troy University trustees have voted to issue $63 million in bonds for the construction of a multi-purpose arena, a dining facility and student housing.
  The arena is expected to seat 5,000 to 6,000 spectators for basketball, with additional floor seating for major events such as commencements and convocations.
  The dining hall will include seating for about 1,000 students and include about 40,000 square feet. The existing dining hall seats about 400 students.
  Fraternities will replace older structures with new housing. As part of the project, each fraternity must lease new facilities from the university.