Troy Adds Five During First Day of Football Early Signing Period

TROY, Ala. – Troy added five new members to its football program on Wednesday's opening day of the early signing period, head coach Jon Sumrall announced. The Trojans added a pair of offensive linemen, two linebackers and a quarterback to its roster, which lost just nine scholarship players from last year's squad.

"We're excited to welcome these five young men to our program," Sumrall said. "They were all committed to Troy before I got the job, and it was a real pleasure getting to know them and their families over the past two weeks. We added some guys who will be strong players for us for years to come and are also outstanding individuals. We're certainly nowhere near finished building the roster for the 2022 season, but we are off to a good start with today's additions."

Troy 2022 Signing Class
Kyler Gibson, OL, 6-5, 285, Munford, Ala. / Munford HS
Luke Hodge, LB/FB, 6-1, 225, Oneonta, Ala. / Oneonta HS
Matthew Johnson, OL, 6-4, 285, Marbury, Ala. / Marbury HS
Tucker Kilcrease, QB, 6-1, 190, Brantley, Ala. / Brantley HS
Blake Matthews, LB, 6-3, 200, Bremen, Ga. / Bremen HS

Kyler Gibson | OL | 6-5 | 285 | Munford, Ala. | Munford HS
High School
Named to the All-Talladega County 4A-5A Team following his junior and senior seasons at Munford High School … Voted team caption for the 2021 season for the Lions … Also played baseball

Personal
Full name is Kyler Glenn Gibson … Son of Shawn and Ashley Gibson … Born Sept. 29, 2003, in Talladega, Ala.

Luke Hodge | LB/FB | 6-1 | 225 | Oneonta, Ala. | Oneonta HS
High School
Named the Alabama 4A Region 6 Player of the Year following his senior year at Oneonta High School … Finished the season with 207 tackles, 27 tackles for loss and three sacks … Helped lead the Redskins to a 13-2 overall record and a berth in the Alabama 4A State Championship Game … Selected to the ASWA All-State Second Team and named the Alabama 4A Region 6 Defensive Player of the Year following his junior season … The Redskins posted a combined 38-13 record in his four seasons … Two-time Blount County Defensive Player of the Year … Selected to play in the Alabama North/South All-Star Game … First team all-state selection as a pitcher for Oneonta

Personal
Son of Jeremy and Laura Hodge … Born Dec. 3, 2003, in Birmingham, Ala. … Father played baseball at Gadsden State and uncle Steve Hodge played football at Jacksonville State

Matthew Johnson | OL | 6-4 | 285 | Marbury, Ala. | Marbury HS
High School
Named one of the top 10 offensive linemen to watch entering the 2021 season by the Montgomery Advertiser … Graded out at 81 percent with 38 pancake blocks as a junior to earn all-metro and all-county honors … Helped lead the Bulldogs to the Alabama 5A Playoffs three times during his career … Served as the gunner on Marbury's punt coverage team … Also played basketball and competed in track & field for Marbury; won gold at the Wetumpka Regional in shot put

Personal
Full name is Matthew Thomas Johnson … Son of Marcia and Donny Johnson … Born June 8, 2004, in Montgomery, Ala.

Tucker Kilcrease | QB | 6-1 | 190 | Brantley, Ala. | Brantley HS
High School
Helped lead Brantley to a 12-1 overall record and the Alabama 1A-1 region title; lost to eventual state champion Sweet Water by three points in the semifinals (Sweet Water won its other four playoff games by an average of 38.5 points) … Played in just six games as a pair of injuries derailed his senior season … Completed 44-of-76 passes for 838 yards with 10 touchdowns and just one interception … Rushed 33 times for 397 yards and four touchdowns … Also credited with nine tackles defensively … Earned ASWA Second Team All-State honors as a junior after throwing for 2,461 yards with 36 touchdowns and just five interceptions … Also rushed for 420 yards and eight touchdowns as a junior, while recording 28 tackles and two sacks on defense and averaging 40.3 yards on three punt attempts … Finishes his career with 7,818 passing yards, 104 touchdowns and just 12 interceptions through the air and rushed for 1,550 yards with 18 touchdowns … Helped lead Brantley to a runner-up finish at the 1A-2A Boy's Golf State Championship in the spring of 2021 … Named the 1A Alabama Hitter of the Year following his junior season; led Brantley to the 2019 Alabama 1A title game … Also plays basketball for the Bulldogs, can dunk the basketball

Personal
Full name is Tucker Beasley Kilcrease … Son of Andrew and Haley Kilcrease … Born May 23, 2004, in Montgomery, Ala. … Father played golf at Troy

Blake Matthews | LB | 6-3 | 200 | Bremen, Ga. | Bremen HS
High School
Recorded 138 tackles, three pass break ups, two forced fumbles, an interception and a fumble recovery defensively for Bremen High School … Offensively, totaled 1,450 all-purpose yards and a pair of passing touchdowns; rushed for 625 yards and registered 652 receiving yards … Finished the year with 15 total touchdowns … Named the Georgia Region 5-AA Defensive Player of the Year and first team all-region … Rated as a top-150 player in the state of Georgia by 247 Sports and as a three-star prospect; the No. 147 athlete in the country per the service … Three-star per ESPN and a top-150 prospect in the state of Georgia … As a junior, finished with 110 tackles, three interceptions and four pass break ups, while recording 563 receiving yards … All-time leading receiver in school history … Also, a star on the baseball diamond, named the Georgia Region 5-AA Player of the Year … Ran track for the Blue Devils

Personal
Full name is Geoffrey Blake Matthews … Son of Brad and Stephanie Matthews … Born Feb. 26, 2003, in Bremen, Georgia … Father played football at West Georgia and grandfather played baseball at West Georgia

Troy University Athletics

Troy Adds Five During First Day of Football Early Signing Period

Players Mentioned

Kyler Gibson

Luke Hodge

Matthew Johnson

Tucker Kilcrease

Blake Matthews

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