Troy University Athletics
Troy Position Preview - Special Teams
8/26/2024 5:21:00 PM | Football
TROY, Ala. – Special teams. Special plays. Special players. Some of the most exciting plays of the football season happen on special teams, and special teams analyst Allen Tucker has a lot of depth to work with.
Kickers
Troy has six kickers on their roster this season. Homegrown talent Scott Taylor Renfroe is returning as the team's starting kicker. Renfroe took over the starting role last season; he finished the year making 19-of-24 field goal attempts and was a perfect 50-for-50 on extra point attempts. The Troy native put his name in the Trojans' record books with the second most made field goals in a single season, the seventh-best single-season percentage in program history, tied Sam Glusman and Michael Taylor for the most in Troy history for making multiple field goals in six games and tied Glusman's record with four field goals made in a single game.
Nick Troemel earned the backup spot this offseason. The redshirt freshman from Newnan, Georgia, did not see any game time last year. In high school, Troemel was an all-state honorable mention and a two-time region special teams player of the year and finished his senior season perfect with 35 extra points and 11 field goals.
Gage Theus, Chase Cross and Paddy McAteer round out the rest of Troy's kickers. Theus is a junior from Andalusia, Alabama, and has not seen game time at the Division I level. Cross, the nephew of men's basketball head coach Scott Cross, is a redshirt freshman transfer from Houston Christian and has not seen any game time. McAteer is a redshirt sophomore from Mullaghbawn, Ireland, who recently joined the team. McAteer is a former Gaelic football goalkeeper from Mullaghbawn Cúchulainns GFC.
Punters are People too
The Trojans only have two punters on the roster for this season. Robert Cole, a senior from Coral Springs, Florida, will reprise his role as the team's starting punter and was named to the Preseason All-Sun Belt second team. Cole finished last season third in the conference, averaging 42.27 yards per punt and was ranked 20th in the country, only allowing 5.7 average return yards.
Junior transfer Evan Crenshaw put up a strong battle throughout the offseason. Crenshaw transferred to Troy this offseason after two seasons with conference rival Coastal Carolina. The 6-foot-4 punter started every game for the Chanticleers and averaged 41.5 yards per punt last season.
Long Snappers
After the departure of All-Sun Belt honorable mention Quentin Skinner, the Trojans found their next starting long snapper (punts) in Colton Walls. Walls is a multi-sport athlete and pitches for Skylar Meade and the Troy baseball team. Standing at 6-foot-3, the Millbrook, Alabama, native will get his first collegiate game action this Saturday.
Will Spain, a redshirt junior, returns to Troy and serves as the team's backup long snapper but will start as the Trojans' short snapper (field goals and extra-points). Spain did not see any game time last season. The Memphis, Tennessee, native transferred to Troy before the 2023 season after two years with Austin Peay. Spain did not see much action in the 2022 season either but was the primary long snapper for the Governors in 2021 as a true freshman.
Returning Specialists
This season, the Trojans have announced that Jordan Lovett and Gerald Green will be the team's starting kick returners for the home opener. Both players are key members of Troy's running back room.
Devonte Ross and Peyton Higgins will serve as Troy's punt returners to start the season. Ross was one of the Trojans' kick returners last season and has 231 yards on 11 career attempts. Higgins has four kick return attempts for 49 yards and has yet to record a punt return attempt in his collegiate career.
Kickers
Troy has six kickers on their roster this season. Homegrown talent Scott Taylor Renfroe is returning as the team's starting kicker. Renfroe took over the starting role last season; he finished the year making 19-of-24 field goal attempts and was a perfect 50-for-50 on extra point attempts. The Troy native put his name in the Trojans' record books with the second most made field goals in a single season, the seventh-best single-season percentage in program history, tied Sam Glusman and Michael Taylor for the most in Troy history for making multiple field goals in six games and tied Glusman's record with four field goals made in a single game.
Nick Troemel earned the backup spot this offseason. The redshirt freshman from Newnan, Georgia, did not see any game time last year. In high school, Troemel was an all-state honorable mention and a two-time region special teams player of the year and finished his senior season perfect with 35 extra points and 11 field goals.
Gage Theus, Chase Cross and Paddy McAteer round out the rest of Troy's kickers. Theus is a junior from Andalusia, Alabama, and has not seen game time at the Division I level. Cross, the nephew of men's basketball head coach Scott Cross, is a redshirt freshman transfer from Houston Christian and has not seen any game time. McAteer is a redshirt sophomore from Mullaghbawn, Ireland, who recently joined the team. McAteer is a former Gaelic football goalkeeper from Mullaghbawn Cúchulainns GFC.
Punters are People too
The Trojans only have two punters on the roster for this season. Robert Cole, a senior from Coral Springs, Florida, will reprise his role as the team's starting punter and was named to the Preseason All-Sun Belt second team. Cole finished last season third in the conference, averaging 42.27 yards per punt and was ranked 20th in the country, only allowing 5.7 average return yards.
Junior transfer Evan Crenshaw put up a strong battle throughout the offseason. Crenshaw transferred to Troy this offseason after two seasons with conference rival Coastal Carolina. The 6-foot-4 punter started every game for the Chanticleers and averaged 41.5 yards per punt last season.
Long Snappers
After the departure of All-Sun Belt honorable mention Quentin Skinner, the Trojans found their next starting long snapper (punts) in Colton Walls. Walls is a multi-sport athlete and pitches for Skylar Meade and the Troy baseball team. Standing at 6-foot-3, the Millbrook, Alabama, native will get his first collegiate game action this Saturday.
Will Spain, a redshirt junior, returns to Troy and serves as the team's backup long snapper but will start as the Trojans' short snapper (field goals and extra-points). Spain did not see any game time last season. The Memphis, Tennessee, native transferred to Troy before the 2023 season after two years with Austin Peay. Spain did not see much action in the 2022 season either but was the primary long snapper for the Governors in 2021 as a true freshman.
Returning Specialists
This season, the Trojans have announced that Jordan Lovett and Gerald Green will be the team's starting kick returners for the home opener. Both players are key members of Troy's running back room.
Devonte Ross and Peyton Higgins will serve as Troy's punt returners to start the season. Ross was one of the Trojans' kick returners last season and has 231 yards on 11 career attempts. Higgins has four kick return attempts for 49 yards and has yet to record a punt return attempt in his collegiate career.
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