Troy University Athletics
Jabari Strait Is Chasing More Than Football
8/18/2026 9:47:00 AM | Football
For Jabari Strait, the road to Troy was anything but a straight line.
The Birmingham native moved around throughout his childhood, living in several communities in the area before eventually finding stability in high school. Football became a constant through those changes, giving Strait an outlet, a group of people around him, and eventually a path toward college. What began as a way to earn a college education has grown into something much bigger for the Troy senior.
Now, as Strait prepares for his final season at Troy, he carries years of experience with him. He has spent time far from home, learned to live without many of the comforts he now has at Troy, and developed a deeper appreciation for the sacrifices his parents made for him and his siblings. Those experiences have shaped the cornerback he is today and continue to fuel his desire to accomplish on the field.
Finding His Path
Growing up in Birmingham, Strait was accustomed to moving. His family lived in Pleasant Grove, Bessemer, McCalla and other areas around Birmingham, so he often adjusted to new neighborhoods and surroundings. As a young kid, he said the changes did not bother him much. He tended to keep to himself anyway, and football provided a natural way to meet people and form friendships.
"I was always like to myself for the most part anyway," Strait said. "I had a few friends, but it was like friends, like my mama, like their parents were cool, so I could still see them."
Eventually, his family settled into a more permanent home, allowing Strait to spend the rest of his high school career in one place. That stability coincided with another important change in his life: his growing commitment to football. He played football and ran track, grew closer to teammates and began to understand that his athletic ability could create opportunities beyond high school.
Strait began playing football at four years old, but it was in his sophomore year of high school that he started taking the sport seriously. He knew he wanted to attend college, and football offered a path to make that happen. The more serious he became about the game, the more he began to see where it could take him.
That realization would eventually lead him well beyond Birmingham.
The Family Behind the Journey
While football opened doors for Strait, his family gave him the foundation to walk through them.
Strait points to his mother and father as the people he looked up to most growing up. He describes both as hardworking parents who sacrificed for their children and worked to make sure he and his siblings felt supported, even when things were difficult behind the scenes.
His mother's example has remained especially important to him. Strait remembers watching her come home from work exhausted, yet she never let her children see how difficult things might have been. She made sure they felt good and had what they needed, a sacrifice Strait has carried with him as he has grown older.
"My parents, they work hard, and they sacrifice a lot for me and my siblings," Strait said.
That example has become part of his motivation as he enters his senior season. Strait wants his football career to create a better situation for those who helped him reach this point, particularly his mother. He wants to reach a point where she does not have to work as hard and can live more comfortably.
For Strait, that motivation goes far beyond personal accomplishments.
His younger siblings are also part of his motivation. His little brother, Jyai, is eight years younger and is beginning to follow his own football path. Jai has played receiver but wants to play cornerback, the same position his older brother plays at Troy.
Strait already believes his younger brother has the potential to surpass him.
"He's gonna be better than me," Strait said.
Learning the Hard Way
Before Strait could settle in at Troy, he had to learn how to navigate football and life on his own.
His path led him to junior college, first at Dodge City Community College in Kansas and later at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M. The experience was a significant departure from home. Strait found himself roughly 14 hours from Birmingham, without the support system he had known growing up.
JUCO forced him to become independent quickly.
Strait remembers vividly the practical challenges. He and his teammates would walk to Walmart and push a shopping cart back to their dorms. Living conditions were often difficult, including community bathrooms. The football programs provided an opportunity, but many of the conveniences that can make college life comfortable were absent.
After workouts, there were no protein shakes waiting for the players. There were no Gatorades. They went to practice, did what they were asked to do and returned to their dorms.
"It was like you gotta really love football to go," Strait said.
That experience taught him more than how to handle a difficult football schedule. It taught him how to take care of himself, how to keep going when circumstances were not ideal and how badly he wanted to reach the next level.
Strait also learned that at junior college, players had to create their own opportunities. He described it as a place where a player had to stand out and find a way to separate himself. The experience was difficult enough that he eventually left Kansas for Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, but the lessons stayed with him.
When he arrived at Troy, he brought a new perspective.
Appreciating Troy
There are things at Troy that can be easy for a college athlete to take for granted.
For Strait, they are reminders of how far he has come.
After spending two years in junior college, the resources and facilities at Troy represented a significant change. Troy offered a level of support that Strait had not always known.
He noticed it.
More importantly, he appreciated it.
That perspective has stayed with him throughout his time at Troy. He understands that getting to this point was not guaranteed, and he has no intention of wasting the opportunity.
Troy also offered something that was equally important: proximity to home.
During his junior college years, Strait's family could not make the trip to see him play. At Troy, they can. His parents have attended home games and traveled to road games, including a trip to Clemson despite the weather.
That matters to Strait.
He has spent enough time away from home to understand what it means to have the people closest to him in the stands.
Gameday Is Family Day
On game days, Strait's routine begins with the people who have been there from the start.
He calls his mother, and the two pray together over the phone. He sends her a picture of the locker room setup because he knows how much she enjoys seeing it. He also makes a point of talking to his younger brother and the rest of his family.
Then he gets ready to play.
Those small traditions have become meaningful because they connect Strait's current life to the family that supported him through every stage of his journey. His mother can now see him compete in person. His brother can watch him play the position he hopes to play himself someday.
For Strait, having his family at the games is another reminder of why he works.
The goal is not solely to become a better football player. It is to use the opportunity football has given him to improve life for the people around him.
Chasing a Bigger Role
Strait enters his senior season with a clear goal: he wants to become an impact player.
He started games for Troy last season and established himself within the defense. Now he wants to take another step forward and become someone opposing offenses have to account for.
"I want to be more impact player," Strait said. "When you're watching the game, you're going to notice me on the field."
Getting there, he believes, will come from the same approach that carried him through every other stage of his career. The work has to happen long before game day. That means spending time in the weight room, putting in reps on the field and studying film when nobody else is watching.
Strait believes the preparation he has put in behind closed doors will eventually show itself on Saturdays.
"I feel like I know I'm taking all the stuff necessary to get to where I want to get," he said.
That confidence is rooted in experience. Strait has already learned what happens when a goal requires patience and persistence. Going from Birmingham to junior college and then to Troy did not happen overnight. Each step demanded another level of commitment.
Now, he wants to see the payoff.
More Than the Game
For all the miles Strait has traveled, the most important part of his football journey may be what the game has taught him about the people around him.
Football has introduced him to teammates and friends from places he otherwise might never have visited. It has taken him from Birmingham to Kansas to Oklahoma and eventually to Troy. It has challenged him physically and mentally, while forcing him to grow up and become more independent.
Most importantly, it has given him an opportunity.
Strait understands that opportunity because he remembers where he started. He remembers moving around Birmingham as a kid. He remembers realizing in high school that football could help him get to college. He remembers being 14 hours from home in junior college, dealing with circumstances that forced him to grow up quickly.
And he remembers why he kept going.
His family.
That remains the central motivation as he prepares for his senior season.
Strait wants to make his mother proud. He wants to give his family a better life. He wants his younger brother to have someone to look up to. He wants to leave Troy knowing he took advantage of the opportunity he worked so hard to earn.
There is still football to be played, of course, and Strait has his sights set on making his biggest impact yet.
But the meaning behind the season is already clear.
And after a journey that has taken him from Birmingham to junior college and finally to Troy, Jabari Strait is ready to make the most of the opportunity in front of him.
The Birmingham native moved around throughout his childhood, living in several communities in the area before eventually finding stability in high school. Football became a constant through those changes, giving Strait an outlet, a group of people around him, and eventually a path toward college. What began as a way to earn a college education has grown into something much bigger for the Troy senior.
Now, as Strait prepares for his final season at Troy, he carries years of experience with him. He has spent time far from home, learned to live without many of the comforts he now has at Troy, and developed a deeper appreciation for the sacrifices his parents made for him and his siblings. Those experiences have shaped the cornerback he is today and continue to fuel his desire to accomplish on the field.
Finding His Path
Growing up in Birmingham, Strait was accustomed to moving. His family lived in Pleasant Grove, Bessemer, McCalla and other areas around Birmingham, so he often adjusted to new neighborhoods and surroundings. As a young kid, he said the changes did not bother him much. He tended to keep to himself anyway, and football provided a natural way to meet people and form friendships.
"I was always like to myself for the most part anyway," Strait said. "I had a few friends, but it was like friends, like my mama, like their parents were cool, so I could still see them."
Eventually, his family settled into a more permanent home, allowing Strait to spend the rest of his high school career in one place. That stability coincided with another important change in his life: his growing commitment to football. He played football and ran track, grew closer to teammates and began to understand that his athletic ability could create opportunities beyond high school.
Strait began playing football at four years old, but it was in his sophomore year of high school that he started taking the sport seriously. He knew he wanted to attend college, and football offered a path to make that happen. The more serious he became about the game, the more he began to see where it could take him.
That realization would eventually lead him well beyond Birmingham.
The Family Behind the Journey
While football opened doors for Strait, his family gave him the foundation to walk through them.
Strait points to his mother and father as the people he looked up to most growing up. He describes both as hardworking parents who sacrificed for their children and worked to make sure he and his siblings felt supported, even when things were difficult behind the scenes.
His mother's example has remained especially important to him. Strait remembers watching her come home from work exhausted, yet she never let her children see how difficult things might have been. She made sure they felt good and had what they needed, a sacrifice Strait has carried with him as he has grown older.
"My parents, they work hard, and they sacrifice a lot for me and my siblings," Strait said.
That example has become part of his motivation as he enters his senior season. Strait wants his football career to create a better situation for those who helped him reach this point, particularly his mother. He wants to reach a point where she does not have to work as hard and can live more comfortably.
For Strait, that motivation goes far beyond personal accomplishments.
His younger siblings are also part of his motivation. His little brother, Jyai, is eight years younger and is beginning to follow his own football path. Jai has played receiver but wants to play cornerback, the same position his older brother plays at Troy.
Strait already believes his younger brother has the potential to surpass him.
"He's gonna be better than me," Strait said.
Learning the Hard Way
Before Strait could settle in at Troy, he had to learn how to navigate football and life on his own.
His path led him to junior college, first at Dodge City Community College in Kansas and later at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M. The experience was a significant departure from home. Strait found himself roughly 14 hours from Birmingham, without the support system he had known growing up.
JUCO forced him to become independent quickly.
Strait remembers vividly the practical challenges. He and his teammates would walk to Walmart and push a shopping cart back to their dorms. Living conditions were often difficult, including community bathrooms. The football programs provided an opportunity, but many of the conveniences that can make college life comfortable were absent.
After workouts, there were no protein shakes waiting for the players. There were no Gatorades. They went to practice, did what they were asked to do and returned to their dorms.
"It was like you gotta really love football to go," Strait said.
That experience taught him more than how to handle a difficult football schedule. It taught him how to take care of himself, how to keep going when circumstances were not ideal and how badly he wanted to reach the next level.
Strait also learned that at junior college, players had to create their own opportunities. He described it as a place where a player had to stand out and find a way to separate himself. The experience was difficult enough that he eventually left Kansas for Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, but the lessons stayed with him.
When he arrived at Troy, he brought a new perspective.
Appreciating Troy
There are things at Troy that can be easy for a college athlete to take for granted.
For Strait, they are reminders of how far he has come.
After spending two years in junior college, the resources and facilities at Troy represented a significant change. Troy offered a level of support that Strait had not always known.
He noticed it.
More importantly, he appreciated it.
That perspective has stayed with him throughout his time at Troy. He understands that getting to this point was not guaranteed, and he has no intention of wasting the opportunity.
Troy also offered something that was equally important: proximity to home.
During his junior college years, Strait's family could not make the trip to see him play. At Troy, they can. His parents have attended home games and traveled to road games, including a trip to Clemson despite the weather.
That matters to Strait.
He has spent enough time away from home to understand what it means to have the people closest to him in the stands.
Gameday Is Family Day
On game days, Strait's routine begins with the people who have been there from the start.
He calls his mother, and the two pray together over the phone. He sends her a picture of the locker room setup because he knows how much she enjoys seeing it. He also makes a point of talking to his younger brother and the rest of his family.
Then he gets ready to play.
Those small traditions have become meaningful because they connect Strait's current life to the family that supported him through every stage of his journey. His mother can now see him compete in person. His brother can watch him play the position he hopes to play himself someday.
For Strait, having his family at the games is another reminder of why he works.
The goal is not solely to become a better football player. It is to use the opportunity football has given him to improve life for the people around him.
Chasing a Bigger Role
Strait enters his senior season with a clear goal: he wants to become an impact player.
He started games for Troy last season and established himself within the defense. Now he wants to take another step forward and become someone opposing offenses have to account for.
"I want to be more impact player," Strait said. "When you're watching the game, you're going to notice me on the field."
Getting there, he believes, will come from the same approach that carried him through every other stage of his career. The work has to happen long before game day. That means spending time in the weight room, putting in reps on the field and studying film when nobody else is watching.
Strait believes the preparation he has put in behind closed doors will eventually show itself on Saturdays.
"I feel like I know I'm taking all the stuff necessary to get to where I want to get," he said.
That confidence is rooted in experience. Strait has already learned what happens when a goal requires patience and persistence. Going from Birmingham to junior college and then to Troy did not happen overnight. Each step demanded another level of commitment.
Now, he wants to see the payoff.
More Than the Game
For all the miles Strait has traveled, the most important part of his football journey may be what the game has taught him about the people around him.
Football has introduced him to teammates and friends from places he otherwise might never have visited. It has taken him from Birmingham to Kansas to Oklahoma and eventually to Troy. It has challenged him physically and mentally, while forcing him to grow up and become more independent.
Most importantly, it has given him an opportunity.
Strait understands that opportunity because he remembers where he started. He remembers moving around Birmingham as a kid. He remembers realizing in high school that football could help him get to college. He remembers being 14 hours from home in junior college, dealing with circumstances that forced him to grow up quickly.
And he remembers why he kept going.
His family.
That remains the central motivation as he prepares for his senior season.
Strait wants to make his mother proud. He wants to give his family a better life. He wants his younger brother to have someone to look up to. He wants to leave Troy knowing he took advantage of the opportunity he worked so hard to earn.
There is still football to be played, of course, and Strait has his sights set on making his biggest impact yet.
But the meaning behind the season is already clear.
And after a journey that has taken him from Birmingham to junior college and finally to Troy, Jabari Strait is ready to make the most of the opportunity in front of him.
Players Mentioned
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