JUCO quarterback says he’ll sign with Troy

July 30, 2009

By Drew Champlin

Troy actually got commitments today from two Mississippi Gulf Coast CC stars…

...quarterback Greg Jenkins committed to Troy not long before his teammate, wideout Brett Moncrief did.

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

Jenkins threw for 1,407 yards last year with 14 touchdowns and four interceptions while completing 71.2 percent of his passes, according to the MGCCC site. Jenkins, who said he was 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds, said he ran a 4.5 and could launch it 70-plus yards.

“I’ll do whatever I can do to get it to my receiver,“ Jenkins said. “I like to lead by my play, but I can get vocal if I need to.“

Jenkins, who is from Dade City, Fla., didn’t sign with anyone out of high school, but Troy did recruit him. They didn’t sign him, but helped him get to MGCCC.

“I was short a science credit,“ Jenkins said. “They recommended me to Gulf Coast. I felt like Troy’s the best fit for me because we run a spread, no-huddle offense in junior college.“

Jenkins said Southern Miss was actively recruiting him and said a couple of SEC schools were also, but said he was firm to Troy.

“Nothing (could get me to change),“ Jenkins said. “I’m all in.“

UPDATE - I do have a story planned for next week on the trend of early commitments.

2010 Troy commitments
High School
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.)
JUCO
Greg Jenkins, (QB, Mississippi Gulf Coast CC)
Brett Moncrief, (WR, Mississippi Gulf Coast CC)
Teavis Durgin (OL, Coffeyville CC, Kan.)
Talris Brown (LB, Coffeyville CC, Kan.)
Aaron Ward (DB, Hutchinson CC, Kan.)

JUCO wide receiver commits to Troy

By Drew Champlin

Troy picked up commitment No. 10 today when Brett Moncrief, a wide receiver from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, pledged to sign with Troy.

Moncrief, the son of former NBA star Sidney Moncrief, is 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds and is a big pickup for the Troy offense. He would enroll in January. He caught 14 passes for 256 yards and two touchdowns last year but missed almost half of the season with a high ankle sprain.

He signed with Oklahoma State out of high school in North Little Rock, Ark., and was placed at MGCCC by OSU. OSU, Ole Miss, Iowa State, Tulsa and Louisiana Tech are among the schools recruiting Moncrief.

“It would take a lot for them to get me to switch,“ Moncrief said. “Troy is a perfect fit for me. They run the spread offense at Troy, which is identical to the one we run at Gulf Coast. It should be an easy transition and they’re a great up and coming program.“

Moncrief would give Troy another physical presence at wideout.

“One thing about me is that I love to block,“ Moncrief said. “I go all out effort every play. I can block, but I can also make plays.“

Thursday link

July 29, 2009

By Drew Champlin

As practice approaches, I wrote this story on Troy’s radio broadcasts for football improving this year, with insight from Barry “Touchdown, Men of Troy” McKnight.

Today is reporting day. I’ll be up there for interviews for future stories, but will try to put together some notes.

Sorce signs with Mariners

By Drew Champlin

Troy pitcher Chris Sorce has signed a deal with the Seattle Mariners and will bypass his senior season. He was drafted in the 26th round by the Mariners and after a pretty good summer in the Valley League, the Mariners gave him a good offer.

Sorce, a right-handed pitcher, is now with the Pulaski Mariners in the Rookie Appalachian League in Pulaski, Tenn.

Sorce was a second-team all-conference selection and went 2-1 with a 3.26 ERA and five saves. He emerged as Troy’s closer this year after coming in as a junior college transfer and would have had that role in 2010.

Now, that role will likely fall to junior college transfer Nick Ward, a righty who has had a good summer as a closer in the Jayhawk League or sophomore left-hander A.J. Howard, who redshirted last year coming off labrum surgery. He’s back healthy now and pitching in the Montgomery Metro Baseball League.

“We’ll be OK, but when you lose a guy like Chris Sorce this late, it’s a tough one to lose,“ Troy head coach Bobby Pierce said. “Ward’s got velocity and a tough slider. A.J’s got that closing mentality. Based on what I know, Ward’s a lot like Chris Sorce, but the Jayhawk League is wood bat and the Sun Belt is metal.“
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Still undecided is rising senior Jason Walls, who was drafted in the 19th round by the San Francisco Giants. The right-handed pitcher was a weekend starter last year.

Pierce said the roster right now is at 39 players. That has to be cut to 35 before the 2010 season starts.

5 newcomers to watch

July 28, 2009

By Drew Champlin

Here are 5 newcomers to the program that I expect to have a significant role this year. Reporting day is Thursday, first practice is Sunday.

1 - EUGENE KINLAW - DT - This one speaks for itself. The National Junior College Defensive Player of the Year, who could have gone to any school in the country (USC, Alabama, North Texas, you name it), came to Troy after the Trojans signed and placed him back in 2007. Kinlaw then dominated for two years at Hutchinson CC in Kansas and is set to become a starter when he steps on the field. This is my fifth year covering Troy and the first guy I can remember being placed first on the depth chart before he became eligible. He’ll battle with senior Rashad Roussell at that position and line up next to senior Kevin Dixon.

2 - JAMES BROWN - OT - Coaches needed someone to replace all-conference offensive tackles Chris Jamison and Dion Small and they’re very confident that Brown, a true sophomore who transferred in from SW Mississippi JUCO, will be the guy at left tackle. He’s a monster - came in at 6-foot-5 and around 350, but has probably shedded some pounds since then. He claimed the left tackle job during the spring and coaches are happy with his progression and feel good about that spot. Brown was eligible coming out of high school, but went the JUCO route and Troy stole him from the bigger schools a year early and got him in for spring ball.

3 - JASON BRUCE - WR - Another JUCO guy who got here in spring ball, the tiny Bruce (5-foot-8, 160ish pounds soaking wet) became a playmaker this spring. He’s one of the faster receivers and Troy coaches will be looking to do things with him in space as an inside receiver. He’s listed as a backup to Jerrel Jernigan, but there’s a good chance both will be on the field at the same time during the course of the game.

4 - BARRY VALCIN - CB - Valcin arrived on campus for summer classes and will fight for a spot in the secondary. The good thing is that he should have three years to play three and will be just a sophomore if his medical redshirt deal got worked out. He suffered a season-ending injury in the first game of his freshman JUCO year. He committed to LSU and signed with Baylor out of high school so you know he’s got talent. He could play either cornerback or safety.

5 - KENNY WARE - WR - I scanned the roster trying to think of guys to put here and, while there were several candidates for the top 5, Ware stands out just because I’m intrigued by him. Ware will be a senior on the football field this fall after completing his eligibility on the hardwood. The 6-foot-5 Ware will be the tallest Trojan WR and was an all-state talent in high school, so he knows a little bit about what he’s doing. He brings some size to the wideout rotation and while I’m not as sure about the impact he’ll have like I am the first four guys, he’s definitely one to watch.

There were plenty of other guys to consider. OT Tyler Graves came over from JUCO but he has to miss the first three games for his role in the Florida State scandal two years ago. OT Nate Newland is a JUCO transfer that will fight for a spot. RBs Greg Pratt and Shawn Southward figure to get a few carries this year - one or both of them. On defense, DT Emanuel Dudley is a JUCO transfer that can play both DT positions. Two DEs - Jonathan Massaquoi and Antonio Harper - are very talented players, but the DE spot is heavy on depth right now so I’m not sure of their impact this year. LB Johnny Thompson has been impressive early on after enrolling as a grayshirt in January. DB Willard Ross will be in the mix. I think the four offensive grayshirts - QB Corey Robinson, WR Gavin Ellis, WR Felton Payton and OL Jimbo Arnold - will redshirt. I think one of this DB quartet - Caleb Massey, Bradley Wallace, Sergio Perez and Mike Robinson - will play some, but I’m not sure which one. Coaches probably want OLs Cody Jenkins and Jay Stansberry and DLs Shermane Teart and Aaron Williams to redshirt. WR Anthony Williams has some size and will be one to watch.