Troy University Athletics
The Trojan Report: A Monthly Update from the Director of Athletics (August 2026)
8/20/2026 3:45:00 PM | General
August 20, 2026
The Trojan Report: A Monthly Update from the Director of Athletics
Opening Message
The month of August brings the start of a new athletic year for our student-athletes! We're glad to have all of our students return home to our beautiful campus as we begin the 2026-2027 year. Classes are already in full swing, and it is exciting to see the buzz begin to build throughout campus.
Last week, we had the opportunity to host all of our student-athletes for our annual Welcome Back Party. Thanks to the grill team from Troy Bank & Trust, our student-athletes were able to enjoy a delicious cookout inside our brand-new Indoor Practice Facility. With great music from our friend DJ LaSalle, tailgate games and inflatable obstacle courses, our student-athletes, coaches and staff had a great time of fellowship in addition to welcoming all of our new faces to the Trojan Family.
Over the past few weeks, I've had the pleasure of visiting with all our teams at their beginning-of-year meetings. My message to them may have varied from team to team, but the overall message remained the same – as an Athletics Department, we just completed our most historic season at the Division I level thus far. And the key is "thus far," as we continue to look toward what is next.
We will relentlessly pursue championships in all that we do – on our respective fields or courts of competition, as well as in the classroom. The ultimate goal for each of our student-athletes remains to walk across the stage at commencement to receive their degree from Troy University and have a championship ring(s) in hand as well.
Impact of Postseason Success
As we prepare to begin a new athletic year, I would like to share some key metrics with you from the success of our teams playing in the postseason this past year. As you're likely aware, we were the only Group of Six program to have our football program in a bowl game, our men's basketball team in March Madness, and our baseball program in an NCAA Regional. We also had our women's basketball team advance to the postseason for the third consecutive season.
There is pride in our teams participating in the postseason, but there is also real value as well. Troy Men's Basketball program generated an advertising equivalency value (AVE) of $576 million for our March Madness appearance this past year. That's up from the estimated $566 million AVE from our March Madness appearance in 2025. Back-to-back March Madness appearances have totaled $1.14 billion, highlighting Troy University.
Not to be outdone, Troy Baseball generated an estimated AVE of $545 million with our run to Omaha and the Men's College World Series this year. The eyes of the nation were locked in as our Trojans defeated Ole Miss in June, as the ESPN broadcast averaged 1.4 million viewers and peaked at 1.88 million, as part of the most-watched opening weekend in Men's College World Series history. All of this continues to show – it's a great time to be a Troy Trojan!
Spotlight Story – All-American Evan Crenshaw
We are proud to have Preseason Sun Belt Special Teams Player of the Year Evan Crenshaw as a member of our football program. He continues to prove he is a valuable weapon for our team and can change the game on a dime. The nation has noticed as well, and Evan enters this season as a consensus Preseason All-American! His past success has certainly merited this prestigious honor, and we cannot wait to see what he and his teammates accomplish this year.
Key Update – Extensions for Coaches
I am incredibly grateful for the leadership our coaches provide across our entire Athletics Department. I'll tell anyone who will listen that we're truly blessed to have an incredible foundation of leaders throughout our Athletics Department, and our room of head coaches is one I would put up against anyone in our conference and beyond. The support each head coach shows for one another is truly incredible and is a key reason for our success together here at Troy.
Three men I would like to share some news about are Skylar Meade (baseball), Eric Newell (softball), and Clay Bounds (men's golf). Throughout their time leading their respective programs, I have been incredibly proud of the team culture each has built and how it results in success across their teams. I'm proud to share that each of these men has agreed to long-term extensions to continue guiding their programs and will continue to make us proud for years to come.
You win with people, and I know we've got the right people leading these programs and each of our teams that proudly represent Troy Athletics.
Looking Ahead – Football Season Approaches
We are just over two weeks away from the beginning of the 2026 football season, and it is shaping up to be a great one.
With back-to-back home games to start the season – Sept. 5 vs. Sam Houston State and Sept. 12 vs. Alabama State – we have a great opportunity before us to create an incredible homefield advantage and provide our team with a strong start to the season.
If you have not done so already, I highly encourage you to lock in your season tickets now or even look through our mini plan options to ensure you're with us at Veterans Memorial Stadium, supporting this team. Our North End Zone Tents are officially sold out. We made the jump from four tents to six this upcoming year and are completely out of space to add more. Seating is limited in the North End Zone and in our Michelob Ultra Lounge. Be sure to check in with Chris Weil (cweil@troy.edu), who can help update you on availability in these premium areas.
Gerad Parker's squad has put in the work during the hottest part of the summer, and I am extremely proud of the progress they have made as they prepare for what is sure to be an exciting season.
This has been our first camp with the availability of the Indoor Practice Facility, and it has been a game-changer for our program's preparations. We have not missed a single day of practice – something we have never been able to say until now. Additionally, the Indoor Practice Facility has changed how our team prepares, allowing us to structure practice periods to keep student-athletes out of direct sun and heat during extreme heat waves. This helps our student-athletes stay properly hydrated and put forth their best effort at all times. Mind you, we're still out in the heat and still out on the regular practice fields, but this allows our coaching staff to move back and forth between the IPF and the fields during practice periods.
Conclusion
The new year is officially here, and we cannot wait to see what the 2026-2027 Athletic Year has in store for all of our student-athletes, coaches, staff and supporters. No matter what your role may be with our teams – student, fan, donor, staff member, etc. – we're all in this together. We are truly at our best when we come together as #OneTROY and we finished strong together as a Trojan Family last year. Let's keep that momentum rolling – together!
Go Trojans!
Kyle George
Director of Athletics
The Trojan Report: A Monthly Update from the Director of Athletics
Opening Message
The month of August brings the start of a new athletic year for our student-athletes! We're glad to have all of our students return home to our beautiful campus as we begin the 2026-2027 year. Classes are already in full swing, and it is exciting to see the buzz begin to build throughout campus.
Last week, we had the opportunity to host all of our student-athletes for our annual Welcome Back Party. Thanks to the grill team from Troy Bank & Trust, our student-athletes were able to enjoy a delicious cookout inside our brand-new Indoor Practice Facility. With great music from our friend DJ LaSalle, tailgate games and inflatable obstacle courses, our student-athletes, coaches and staff had a great time of fellowship in addition to welcoming all of our new faces to the Trojan Family.
Over the past few weeks, I've had the pleasure of visiting with all our teams at their beginning-of-year meetings. My message to them may have varied from team to team, but the overall message remained the same – as an Athletics Department, we just completed our most historic season at the Division I level thus far. And the key is "thus far," as we continue to look toward what is next.
We will relentlessly pursue championships in all that we do – on our respective fields or courts of competition, as well as in the classroom. The ultimate goal for each of our student-athletes remains to walk across the stage at commencement to receive their degree from Troy University and have a championship ring(s) in hand as well.
Impact of Postseason Success
As we prepare to begin a new athletic year, I would like to share some key metrics with you from the success of our teams playing in the postseason this past year. As you're likely aware, we were the only Group of Six program to have our football program in a bowl game, our men's basketball team in March Madness, and our baseball program in an NCAA Regional. We also had our women's basketball team advance to the postseason for the third consecutive season.
There is pride in our teams participating in the postseason, but there is also real value as well. Troy Men's Basketball program generated an advertising equivalency value (AVE) of $576 million for our March Madness appearance this past year. That's up from the estimated $566 million AVE from our March Madness appearance in 2025. Back-to-back March Madness appearances have totaled $1.14 billion, highlighting Troy University.
Not to be outdone, Troy Baseball generated an estimated AVE of $545 million with our run to Omaha and the Men's College World Series this year. The eyes of the nation were locked in as our Trojans defeated Ole Miss in June, as the ESPN broadcast averaged 1.4 million viewers and peaked at 1.88 million, as part of the most-watched opening weekend in Men's College World Series history. All of this continues to show – it's a great time to be a Troy Trojan!
Spotlight Story – All-American Evan Crenshaw
We are proud to have Preseason Sun Belt Special Teams Player of the Year Evan Crenshaw as a member of our football program. He continues to prove he is a valuable weapon for our team and can change the game on a dime. The nation has noticed as well, and Evan enters this season as a consensus Preseason All-American! His past success has certainly merited this prestigious honor, and we cannot wait to see what he and his teammates accomplish this year.
Key Update – Extensions for Coaches
I am incredibly grateful for the leadership our coaches provide across our entire Athletics Department. I'll tell anyone who will listen that we're truly blessed to have an incredible foundation of leaders throughout our Athletics Department, and our room of head coaches is one I would put up against anyone in our conference and beyond. The support each head coach shows for one another is truly incredible and is a key reason for our success together here at Troy.
Three men I would like to share some news about are Skylar Meade (baseball), Eric Newell (softball), and Clay Bounds (men's golf). Throughout their time leading their respective programs, I have been incredibly proud of the team culture each has built and how it results in success across their teams. I'm proud to share that each of these men has agreed to long-term extensions to continue guiding their programs and will continue to make us proud for years to come.
You win with people, and I know we've got the right people leading these programs and each of our teams that proudly represent Troy Athletics.
Looking Ahead – Football Season Approaches
We are just over two weeks away from the beginning of the 2026 football season, and it is shaping up to be a great one.
With back-to-back home games to start the season – Sept. 5 vs. Sam Houston State and Sept. 12 vs. Alabama State – we have a great opportunity before us to create an incredible homefield advantage and provide our team with a strong start to the season.
If you have not done so already, I highly encourage you to lock in your season tickets now or even look through our mini plan options to ensure you're with us at Veterans Memorial Stadium, supporting this team. Our North End Zone Tents are officially sold out. We made the jump from four tents to six this upcoming year and are completely out of space to add more. Seating is limited in the North End Zone and in our Michelob Ultra Lounge. Be sure to check in with Chris Weil (cweil@troy.edu), who can help update you on availability in these premium areas.
Gerad Parker's squad has put in the work during the hottest part of the summer, and I am extremely proud of the progress they have made as they prepare for what is sure to be an exciting season.
This has been our first camp with the availability of the Indoor Practice Facility, and it has been a game-changer for our program's preparations. We have not missed a single day of practice – something we have never been able to say until now. Additionally, the Indoor Practice Facility has changed how our team prepares, allowing us to structure practice periods to keep student-athletes out of direct sun and heat during extreme heat waves. This helps our student-athletes stay properly hydrated and put forth their best effort at all times. Mind you, we're still out in the heat and still out on the regular practice fields, but this allows our coaching staff to move back and forth between the IPF and the fields during practice periods.
Conclusion
The new year is officially here, and we cannot wait to see what the 2026-2027 Athletic Year has in store for all of our student-athletes, coaches, staff and supporters. No matter what your role may be with our teams – student, fan, donor, staff member, etc. – we're all in this together. We are truly at our best when we come together as #OneTROY and we finished strong together as a Trojan Family last year. Let's keep that momentum rolling – together!
Go Trojans!
Kyle George
Director of Athletics
Thursday, August 20
Thursday, August 13
Wednesday, August 12
Tuesday, August 11