Football Notebook – Trojans Through Two Weeks of Spring Ball

Football Notebook – Trojans Through Two Weeks of Spring Ball

3/24/2023 2:24:00 PM | Football

By: Troy Athletics Communications

TROY, Ala. – Two weeks and four practices in, the defending Sun Belt and Cure Bowl champions are ahead of schedule from where they were at this point last year. Troy's head coach Jon Sumrall is not by any means saying that the Trojans are a finished product, but his squad is functioning at a high level this spring.

"From an installation standpoint, we are ahead by a lot of where we were at this point last year, but you should expect that from year one to year two," Sumrall said. "We spent practice four emphasizing third-down calls, and on Saturday, we will work a lot of red zone; we didn't get into those situations and scenarios near this early last spring.

"Right now, the 1s are functioning and operating at a high capacity," Sumrall added. "With some of the younger guys, we are simplifying what we're presenting, but they are still much further along as well from a year ago at this time."

All Eyes on the O-Line
While the Trojans return a wealth of talent and production on the offensive side of the football from last year's championship squad, one area where they must find replacements is on the offensive line.

Center Jake Andrews, who was invited to the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine, is forgoing his final year of eligibility to enter the NFL Draft, while three-time All-Sun Belt left tackle Austin Stidham and two-year starter at guard Deandre Butler also graduated. Additionally, offensive line coach Cole Popovich returned to his roots in the NFL last month.

"Clearly, losing three starters and the position coach is significant, but we developed a deeper room during the last year and added some key pieces in the offseason," Sumrall said.

Sumrall and company did just that with the hiring of highly regarded Joe Bernardi from Auburn to coach the offensive line, in addition to adding six offensive linemen to the roster for spring practice. Among that group, Oklahoma State transfer Eli Russ and JUCO transfers MarKendrick Beall and Elijah Philipe have drawn early attention.

"Losing starters is always a significant deal," Sumrall said. "But we have stalwarts like Daniel King and Grant Betts, who are anchors on the line, back. Also, in positions four through nine, our depth is much better when you look at the next guy who goes in. Last year between the 1s and the 2s, the drop-off was glaring, and looking at it now, there are guys I see who can play winning football for us currently playing with the 2s."

Evolution of the Tight End
Tight ends played a key role in Troy's offense last year, with a combined 23 receptions and three touchdowns from its trio of regulars. The Trojans went out and added a pair of new tight ends in the offseason with the addition of Ethan Conner from East Mississippi Community College and Brody Dalton from UAB.

"You want to be versatile and flexible with the type of player you recruit at tight end," Sumrall said. "There are two types of thought processes – the conventional guy at the end of the line of scrimmage and a guy who is slightly off the ball. We want to find guys who can block at the point of attack and run good routes.

"Brody is more in that traditional mold, similar to Clayton Ollendieck, and Ethan is a really good athlete who played receiver. What has been encouraging with Ethan is seeing that he will put his face on you, strike you and play with the physicality that is needed from the position."

TP Getting a Promotion
Inside linebackers coach Tayler Polk has added some letters in front of his title this offseason as Sumrall promoted him to co-defensive coordinator.

"TP is a vital part of our program and is a future coordinator," Sumrall said. "He is complimenting what Greg's (Gasparato) vision is for our defense and helping bridge the gap between what we did last year to what we're going to do this year. I have really high regard for his knowledge of the game, his relationship with his players and the energy he brings to everything he does. Tayler has had a tremendous positive impact on our program in a year and a half, and he's earned the elevated role."

Other changes in the building have director of player personnel Brayden Berezowitz moving to a defensive analyst and director of defensive recruiting, while tight ends coach Evan McKissack adds the title of director of offensive recruiting.