Troy University Athletics
09 Preview: Secondary Replacing Losses with Vets
7/21/2009 3:15:00 PM | Football
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Sherrod Martin was a second round pick of the Carolina Panthers last April. Terence Moore signed a free agent deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Trevor Ford did likewise with the Green Bay Packers. Three-year starter Tavares Williams has also departed. That does not even include the losses of first round pick Leodis McKelvin to the Buffalo Bills from 2007, as well as Elbert Mack to the Bucs that same year.
Such a set of circumstances would make a lot of coaches panic in these pass-happy days in college football. Not so for the Trojans Jeremy Rowell, who doubles as defensive coordinator and secondary coach. While the losses from last season for Troy are substantial, he feels confident that his returning players are both ready, and able, to fill the void.
“The great thing for all of these new guys in the secondary is those other seven or eight guys who will be playing in front of them,” Rowell said. “I have played with young guys in the past and it worked out. Truthfully, we just have one young guy back there.”
Even with the departure of those four players, Troy will open the season with three seniors in starting roles in the secondary, including Jorrick Calvin who started 12 games at corner last year. Fellow seniors Courtland Fuller and Chris Bowens both also have considerable playing experience in their careers.
Bowens, in fact, may be poised for a breakout senior season. He opened the 2008 campaign as a starter at corner but struggled early in that role. He has moved to safety now, and is flourishing.
“Backing Bowens away from the ball may have made him 10 times better,” Rowell said. “He had a heck of a spring and I think he finally settled in a little bit. He has had Leodis, Nook (Mack) and Jorrick in front of him, and he is not the same kind of player they are. He may have been trying to do some of the things they did, and that is not his game.
“Moving him to safety and changing things around for him is going to be good for us because, athletically, he is just like Sherrod. He is a corner-type guy who is playing safety.”
Fuller is getting his first chance to be a starter, but he is no stranger to game action. He has been a special teams star for the last three years and is a vocal leader.
“He played corner in high school, we just moved him to safety a lot sooner,” Rowell said. “Both of them have been around a long time and are experienced. Both of them travel together all the time and they understand what it is going to take for us to be successful and they are on top of it.”
With Fuller and Bowens at the safety spots, and Calvin manning one corner, the Trojans really have just one position where an inexperienced player will be starting this fall. In spring practice, redshirt freshman Bryan Willis made a strong case to be that starter, but he will likely be pushed by junior college signee Barry Valcin in August.
“I think Jorrick is like a lot of JUCO guys in that it is a full year process to transition totally and get all of the bad habits out,” Rowell said. “He is a very good football player and makes a lot of plays. I am excited about having him back because it gives us one guy who has played.
“On the other side Bryan Willis had a really good spring. He has a lot of good football skills. Barry Valcin may put a little pressure on because he has size and a different skill set from Willis. He is a guy who may move to safety next year. He is very talented, smooth, and moves around very well.”
The Trojans have three other players returning in the secondary with playing experience. Juniors Bryant McKissic and Sam Sellers will back Fuller at the strong safety spot while senior Kedric Manning will back Bowens at free safety. Another junior college signee, Willard Ross, will also be given a look at free safety.
Sophomore KeJuan Phillips saw action in all 13 games as a true freshman last year and will be behind Calvin at corner. Three others who will get a look in the secondary are all true freshmen. Sergio Perez will get a look at both corner spots while Mike Robinson and Caleb Massey are both safeties.
“We have to understand how to play every snap and how to create turnovers, all of the things that have been successful for us in the past,” Rowell said of the new group. “This is not last year's group. You can wipe all of that stuff out – all the newspaper clippings. This group has to go out and play ball.
“The big thing is if the front seven takes the pressure off the back four and allows them to do their jobs. If that front group does what they are supposed to do and puts on a lot of pressure, then there won't be any pressure on those guys in the back.”
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