Senior Spotlight: Tray Eafford

This story originally appeared in GAMEDAY - Troy's Official Gameday Program

760 miles.

That's the distance between Macon, Ga., and Morgantown, W.Va.

But for Troy senior Trey Coryell, it had to feel like 7,600 miles.

Growing up in Macon, Ga., a mere hour-and-a-half drive from Atlanta, Randall Mark 'Trey' Coryell III was the typical All-American kid. He played baseball, football and basketball in his backyard with his friends and brother Thomas.

But what made Trey and the Coryell family special was the bond each member of the immediate and extended family shared.

"I've always been a really big family guy, and my family has always been really close and tight-knit," Coryell said. "We're even really close with extended family, and we'd go and do Christmas at various relatives' houses"

So, when the former high school quarterback ended up at West Virginia, nearly 800 miles from home, Coryell realized that WVU might not be the place for him.

"I went to West Virginia because it was always my dream to go and play major college football," the tight end said. "West Virginia has a big brand and they're a big school, so it was very enticing to go and play there. When I got up there, it was just so far from home, and I'm a big family guy. I just realized that my parents and family wouldn't get the chance to come see me play, so I wanted to come back a bit closer to home."

When he decided to enter the transfer portal, Coryell received interest from all over the country and many different levels of football.

"Once I decided that I was going to transfer I looked at a bunch of different schools. The funny thing is whenever I would visit Troy in high school it would always rain, so I didn't get a great feel for the campus. But when I visited Troy this time [former Troy head coach Neal] Brown really sold me on the city of Troy and winning."

With his decision made, Coryell arrived at Troy in the Fall of 2017, serving as a key contributor to the Trojans' scout team. Wanting to experience a winning culture, that season certainly fit the bill, as the Trojans went 11-2 and upset No. 22 LSU, 24-21 before winning the programs sixth Sun Belt Conference championship. One of the highlights of his college career, the Trojans season that year ended with a 50-30 victory over North Texas in the New Orleans Bowl.

As his college career comes to a close, Coryell knows he has finally found a second home here in Troy. Earlier this fall, the former walk-on was put on scholarship, and as he looks toward the future, he knows Troy has helped set him up for a successful career after football.

"I started college as a walk-on, and then, I earned a scholarship, so I've always been a bit of an underdog. I've been asked to do a lot of different things here, but Troy has given me an opportunity that most schools haven't. To me, Troy is the epitome of hard work gets you where you want to go."

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