Troy University Athletics
Troy Football Notebook – Junior Day, Birmingham Blitz, BBQ Grill Off
2/26/2019 10:35:00 AM | Football
TROY, Alabama – With the top-ranked signing class in the Sun Belt Conference in tow, Troy head coach Chip Lindsey and his staff continued their attention on the 2020 class this past weekend with more than 100 visitors to campus for Troy's second Junior Day of the offseason.
"We've had two great Junior Days so far with around 200 total players. Our staff has done a great job getting not only people on campus, but really good players," Lindsey said. "We really want our coaches to sell their personalities and their relationships with the players and their parents."
The North End Zone Facility was jampacked with players and their families on Saturday as they had an opportunity to get a first-hand look at the Trojans' new football home. The upcoming high school seniors also got to check out the latest Troy Adidas swag in the equipment room, take pictures in Troy's new locker room in addition to touring the weight room and two player lounges.
"The reaction to the new facility has been off the charts," Lindsey said. "We've heard a lot from the parents and players how impressed they are with the North End Zone Facility and what a first class building it is. That's why I think facilities are so important, it is an opportunity to distance ourselves from our peers."
Troy officially added 22 players through the two signing periods with an average rating of 82.14 by 247Sports, which is the best in school history and tops in the Sun Belt – Louisiana was second at 81.57 with 28 signees and App State third at 81.52 with 18 signees. The Trojans also officially welcomed Charles Strong who transferred from Texas A&M after one season with the Aggies; he rushed for nearly 4,000 yards with 48 touchdowns over his career at Union County (Fla.) High School where he was a four-star recruit.
Get Your Grill On
Troy head coach Chip Lindsey will serve as one of the judges for the second annual Fraternity Grill Off prior to the Troy baseball game against Jacksonville State on Wednesday. Lindsey will join baseball head coach Mark Smartt and assistant coaches Shane Gierke and Matt Hancock to see which Troy fraternity reigns supreme on the grill.
Insider tip to get Lindsey's vote … make some ribs.
"It's going to be a lot of fun," Lindsey said. "I'd love to see some of these teams make some ribs for Wednesday night. I'm not too picky between a wet sauce or a dry rub, but a team with some ribs would be really good."
First pitch between the longtime rivals is set for 6 p.m. at Riddle-Pace Field and voting for the Grill Off will take place at 5 p.m. behind the left field wall.
Blitzing Birmingham
For the third straight year, Troy football will be blitzing Birmingham as head coach Chip Lindsey will make a handful of media rounds in the morning before hosting a roundtable lunch with members of the Birmingham media that afternoon.
"It's huge for us to have a presence in Birmingham," Lindsey said. "We're selling Troy. Not only football, but our University and all the good things we have to offer here. There a lot of good people who care about football in Birmingham so it will be good to get in front of them."
Lindsey's day opens with a visit to WJOX at 9 a.m. for a segment with the guys from the Roundtable before quickly dashing over to Fox 6 for a live appearance on Good Day Alabama at 9:45 a.m. Following an in-studio visit with CBS 42, Lindsey will be back at WJOX at 11:30 a.m. to visit with the 3 Man Front crew before the media lunch at noon.
Troy's first-year head coach will also make an appearance that evening at the Hoover Met prior to Troy taking on Tennessee in the Hoover Classic. First pitch for the baseball game is scheduled for 6 p.m. with the Trojan Tour event beginning at 5:15 p.m.
Weight Room Warriors
Nobody spends more time with the players in the offseason than the strength and conditioning staff and for the new man in charge, SaJason Finley, it's been a gradual implementation of his philosophies.
"We didn't want to come in and make dramatic changes right away because these guys have been so successful the last three years," Finley said. "We wanted to gradually implement our system and build off what the guys have been doing."
One thing that Finley and his staff have been focusing on during the early winter workouts is Troy's speed and acceleration.
"The guys have really enjoyed the speed component that we brought here," Finley said. "We're working on a lot of acceleration movements in our running drills and then incorporating it in the weight room as well."
While hesitant to single out any specific players for their work in the weight room, Finley tabbed the offensive and defensive lines for leading the way as units, while Dylan Bradshaw and Zo Bridges earned some individual praise.
"This is a really unique bunch of guys in that they all come to work every day and are excited about training," Finley said.
"We've had two great Junior Days so far with around 200 total players. Our staff has done a great job getting not only people on campus, but really good players," Lindsey said. "We really want our coaches to sell their personalities and their relationships with the players and their parents."
The North End Zone Facility was jampacked with players and their families on Saturday as they had an opportunity to get a first-hand look at the Trojans' new football home. The upcoming high school seniors also got to check out the latest Troy Adidas swag in the equipment room, take pictures in Troy's new locker room in addition to touring the weight room and two player lounges.
"The reaction to the new facility has been off the charts," Lindsey said. "We've heard a lot from the parents and players how impressed they are with the North End Zone Facility and what a first class building it is. That's why I think facilities are so important, it is an opportunity to distance ourselves from our peers."
Troy officially added 22 players through the two signing periods with an average rating of 82.14 by 247Sports, which is the best in school history and tops in the Sun Belt – Louisiana was second at 81.57 with 28 signees and App State third at 81.52 with 18 signees. The Trojans also officially welcomed Charles Strong who transferred from Texas A&M after one season with the Aggies; he rushed for nearly 4,000 yards with 48 touchdowns over his career at Union County (Fla.) High School where he was a four-star recruit.
Get Your Grill On
Troy head coach Chip Lindsey will serve as one of the judges for the second annual Fraternity Grill Off prior to the Troy baseball game against Jacksonville State on Wednesday. Lindsey will join baseball head coach Mark Smartt and assistant coaches Shane Gierke and Matt Hancock to see which Troy fraternity reigns supreme on the grill.
Insider tip to get Lindsey's vote … make some ribs.
"It's going to be a lot of fun," Lindsey said. "I'd love to see some of these teams make some ribs for Wednesday night. I'm not too picky between a wet sauce or a dry rub, but a team with some ribs would be really good."
First pitch between the longtime rivals is set for 6 p.m. at Riddle-Pace Field and voting for the Grill Off will take place at 5 p.m. behind the left field wall.
Blitzing Birmingham
For the third straight year, Troy football will be blitzing Birmingham as head coach Chip Lindsey will make a handful of media rounds in the morning before hosting a roundtable lunch with members of the Birmingham media that afternoon.
"It's huge for us to have a presence in Birmingham," Lindsey said. "We're selling Troy. Not only football, but our University and all the good things we have to offer here. There a lot of good people who care about football in Birmingham so it will be good to get in front of them."
Lindsey's day opens with a visit to WJOX at 9 a.m. for a segment with the guys from the Roundtable before quickly dashing over to Fox 6 for a live appearance on Good Day Alabama at 9:45 a.m. Following an in-studio visit with CBS 42, Lindsey will be back at WJOX at 11:30 a.m. to visit with the 3 Man Front crew before the media lunch at noon.
Troy's first-year head coach will also make an appearance that evening at the Hoover Met prior to Troy taking on Tennessee in the Hoover Classic. First pitch for the baseball game is scheduled for 6 p.m. with the Trojan Tour event beginning at 5:15 p.m.
Weight Room Warriors
Nobody spends more time with the players in the offseason than the strength and conditioning staff and for the new man in charge, SaJason Finley, it's been a gradual implementation of his philosophies.
"We didn't want to come in and make dramatic changes right away because these guys have been so successful the last three years," Finley said. "We wanted to gradually implement our system and build off what the guys have been doing."
One thing that Finley and his staff have been focusing on during the early winter workouts is Troy's speed and acceleration.
"The guys have really enjoyed the speed component that we brought here," Finley said. "We're working on a lot of acceleration movements in our running drills and then incorporating it in the weight room as well."
While hesitant to single out any specific players for their work in the weight room, Finley tabbed the offensive and defensive lines for leading the way as units, while Dylan Bradshaw and Zo Bridges earned some individual praise.
"This is a really unique bunch of guys in that they all come to work every day and are excited about training," Finley said.
Players Mentioned
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Players Postgame Press Conference (Marshall)
Saturday, December 20