Troy Football Spring Break Rewind – Part I

TROY, Ala. – Spring break has arrived on Troy's campus this week, and with it a natural break has presented itself in the Trojans' spring practice routine. With the pause in the practice schedule, head coach Chip Lindsey took some time to share his thoughts on each position group, Troy's 2020 schedule and other hot topics surrounding the program, and we will share each of those over the coming days.

Lindsey's squad has delved into a third of their allotted spring sessions with the early returns promising.

"I think we got off to a great start and this week is a great opportunity for us to regroup a little bit and do a review of what we got installed and where the guys are," Lindsey said. "We can use this chance to slow down a little bit and zero in on the areas we want to focus on when we get back from the break."

It's Competition Season, Especially at Quarterback
Despite Troy returning eight starters on offense and seven on defense, no starting job is guaranteed going into the fall with an influx of new players ramping up the competition level in each of the position rooms.

"You've seen some guys in different parts of our team that are in competition," Lindsey said. "They are understanding that they are competing for an opportunity to try and find a position on our team, a starting job or spot on the depth chart."

The biggest spot of competition, and most visible, is at the quarterback position where three players have pulled away from the pack through the opening two weeks.

"Parker (McNeil), Gunnar (Watson) and Jacob (Free) have kind of separated themselves from the standpoint of at least getting more reps in the second of half of the spring," Lindsey said. "We're not going to name a starter until the fall, but at some point in spring ball we've got to narrow things down a little bit. We're looking for the guy that most affects the other 10 guys on the field. When we get into some scrimmages, I think you'll be able to tell who moves the team the best, who executes, who is good under pressure on third down and in the red zone – those are the things we'll focus on when we get back."

Playing with a Different Energy
For anyone who has attended one of Troy's first five practices (all spring practices are open to the public), there is a different vibe and different energy in the air.

"Last year was a tough year on all of us," Lindsey said. "We lost three games by a combined 13 points which could have easily made us an eight-win team playing in a bowl game trying to win nine games. Instead, we didn't win the close games that we've won here in the past, so we've rededicated ourselves to getting back to blue collar, tough football. 'Trojan Tough' is our motto and getting back to being a blue collar team is a big priority."

One of the core reasons for the shift has been the addition of strength and conditioning coach Rusty Whitt and his assistant Adam Hymel in the offseason. Whitt, a former Special Forces Sergeant in the United States Army, came to Troy following stints at Army and Texas Tech, while Hymel was most recently at Ole Miss after coaching with Whitt at Texas Tech and Louisiana.

"Rusty has been a huge addition in our evolution back into a blue collar team," Lindsey said. "Rusty is continuing to bring the same message that we want from a coaching staff standpoint and really challenging our guys to push through some things – to have that mentality of no matter what, we're going to fight and no matter what, we're going to find a way to get it done."

Early Risers
One of the biggest changes for the Trojans this spring has been the schedule with Lindsey's squad going through the bulk of their work during the morning. Practice days get rolling at 6 a.m. with breakfast and taping before a team meeting at 7:30 a.m. followed by a special teams meeting. Practice runs from 8:30 until 10:30 a.m. and the players are back at 5:15 p.m. for position meetings.

"It's been a good change," Lindsey said. "I don't know that I'd like it in the fall because you get in a routine surrounding game week, but it's been kind of cool to mix it up. We've had some better practices, but I don't contribute that to going in the mornings. I think it says more about the leaders on our team – we've got guys in position now that are leading our guys. The best teams I've been on are player led, and when we get to that point, I think that's when you have the makings of a good football team."

Schedule Rewind
The Sun Belt Conference released the full slate of games for the league's 10 teams just over a week ago.

The Trojans play five of their first seven games of the season at home and six of the first seven games of the year in the state of Alabama. However, the road games have to come at some point and that is on the back end of the schedule with four of Troy's final five games of the year coming away from The Vet.

"It's an exciting schedule with a lot of really good opportunities," Lindsey said. "In my mind, we have one of the most competitive conferences in the country. We've got good teams up and down our league now, and we've got good coaches who are doing a great job in recruiting."

The biggest highlight of the schedule is a visit from NC State to The Vet on Sept. 19.

"It's huge for us to have a Power Five opponent playing at our place," Lindsey said. "I know our guys are going to look forward to that, but to be cliché, we're going to take it one game at a time with Arkansas-Pine Bluff being our first opponent. We need to get off to a great start in front of our home crowd."

Buy Season Tickets, Get a T-Roy Bobblehead
Fans who purchase or renew their season tickets by May 1, will receive a free limited-edition T-Roy bobblehead. Season ticket packages start as low as $60 and can be purchased by visiting TroyTrojans.com

T-Day Festivities Feature Champions Brunch, Kids Camp, Concert & More
Troy Athletics is rolling out the red carpet for its annual T-Day Spring Game presented by the Vance Law Firm with the inaugural Champions Brunch, Future Trojans Youth Football Camp, a pregame concert, free mini posters and a Kids Zone inside The Vet. The game is slated for 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 4, and admission is free. Complete details on T-Day can be found by visiting TroyTrojans.com/TDay2020.

Troy University Athletics

Troy Football Spring Break Rewind – Part I

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