Signee look: Offensive line

February 08, 2008

Drew Champlin

Troy signed two offensive linemen: Jimbo Arnold (Belle Glade, Fla.) and Kyle Wilborn (Newnan, Ga.). Both are expected to grayshirt and enroll in 2009.

There was no immediate need for offensive linemen this year as everyone returns off last year’s team.

“This recruiting class for O-linemen, we weren’t signing for this year,“ offensive coordinator Neal Brown said. “The receivers and running backs are going to help us immediately. With the O-linemen, we’re thinking 2009 and beyond. We’ll lose seven guys off the line and have a couple of guys coming back in 2009.“

On Jimbo Arnold: “The biggest thing that stuck out to Coach (John) Schlarman is that he’s a tough kid. He’s got great feet. We had him in camp and in our senior camp, we don’t wear shoulder pads or helmets or anything. One thing, for O-linemen, it’s tough for them to put their face in there because they’re going to get some contact. He put his face right in.“

On Kyle Wilborn: Kyle Wilborn’s a funny story. (Heritage, his high school) only had football two years. That’s my recruiting area and to be honest with you, I didn’t even know they had football. We got film here two weeks ago.

“The level of football wasn’t great, but there’s this kid that’s playing tough and finishing off his blocks. We investigated it, coach Schlar and I went to go see him and he’s 6-foot-4, 300 pounds and put together. He made himself a player and he got himself recruited. He did all his own videos and sent them out and did everything. He’s somebody that really wants to be a player. He’s got unlimited potential. For us to get a 6-4 kid who can move, that’s a big deal.“

Signee look: Wide receiver

Drew Champlin

Troy signed five wide receivers this year - Tebiarus Gill (Jones MS JUC), Charles “Chip” Reeves (Stone Mountain, Ga.), Gavin Ellis (Cullman), Felton Payton (Fort Walton Beach, Fla.) and Darius Morgan (Ocala, Fla.). Ellis and Payton are expected to grayshirt, and Morgan is expected to begin his career in junior college.

Reeves brings world-class speed to the program. He’s expected to compete for playing time immediately at the X-receiver position. “He’s a 10.5, 10.6 100-meter guy,“ offensive coordinator Neal Brown said. “He can really fly.“

Gill might find himself starting at the Z, the position vacated by Gary Banks.

“Anytime you take a JUCO kid, you expect him to cmoe in and compete for playing time right now,“ Brown said. “His average-per-catch is really, really good and that’s one of the things we looked at when we look at receivers. Jones is a very good junior college program. He’s a bigger kid, he’s 6-2, he’s a kid we recruited out of high school. He’s a big-body guy and he’s going to play the Z-receiver for us. We signed him to play, he’s going to, and I think he’ll have two very productive years for us.“

Brown had a lot to say on the two grayshirts.

On the 6-foot-6 Gavin Ellis: “Gavin’s a kid that played in this offense. He’s grown three or four inches in a two-year period of time. He’s 6-6 and 220 pounds and he looks really lean. He caught 76 balls as a senior. We had him at two different camps. The growth he’s made over the summer and through the fall has been off the charts. He’s a kid that I think his best football is way ahead. He can be 6-6 and 240 and still run the same way.“

“He gives us a goal line threat that we haven’t had here. We’re running a bunch of 6-foot and under guys out there and we signed a kid that’s 6-6. I’m excited about that and it makes it a lot easier to call plays down in the red zone. The way I see him is the way Missouri used their tight ends. They spread them out. I’d love to have him where he can put his hand down some, but his body is going to have to mature. We signed him as a wideout and that’s what he’s coming in as. If he grows into (a tight end), that’s fine, but he doesn’t have to to be successful.“

On Felton Payton, who is 6-foot-2: “Another kid that played in the system in high school. He was pretty productive in high school. He came into camp and Shayne (Wasden) and I coached him for three or four straight days.

“He’s 6-foot-2, he’s a great leaper, super coachable, a great student. He’s just now learning how to play. He’s really raw. He weighs 175 and we want him to play at 190 pounds. His work ethic is second to none. I think he’s one of these guys that’s going to be the steal out of this recruiting class.“

Signee look: Running back

February 07, 2008

Drew Champlin

Troy signed several running backs, but three that are expected to qualify academically and find themselves in the playing rotation next fall are JUCO transfer Maurice Greer and freshmen Chris Anderson and T.J. Mitchell.

Offensive coordinator Neal Brown on Greer, who recovered from testicular cancer a couple of years ago: “He beat cancer. He had two very productive years at Garden City. He was Colorado’s Mr. Football and was the No. 1 player coming out of that state. He’s really going to be a good player. He’s a bigger back, a stronger back, and once he gets his body back to where he was pre-cancer, he’s a guy that can play a lot for us.“

On Chris Anderson: “He had a good senior year. His junior year, though, he was the Broward County player of the year. Great players come out of there. He’s a guy that’s ready to play right now. He’s 190 pounds and played in an offense similar to ours. He’s a strong kid and he can make people miss in space.“

On T.J. Mitchell: T.J. Mitchell is just fast. He can burn. He might be the fastest player on our team from Day 1. We wanted to add speed, and we signed two guys with world class speed in (wide receiver signee) Charles Reeves and T.J.“

Athlete Chris Perry has a chance to qualify and join the class in the fall or next January as a grayshirt, but he’s also highly regarded by the staff.

Signee look: Quarterback

Drew Champlin

Troy signed two quarterbacks to scholarships Wednesday - Corey Robinson out of Paducah, Ky., and Dan Parker out of Miami.

Everyone knew about Robinson, Kentucky’s Mr. Football that threw a national-record 91 touchdown passes at Lone Oak. No one knew about Parker until Signing Day. He’s a kid that Troy was on late and he committed on his official visit last weekend. You might look at his measurables and compare him as a left-handed Omar Haugabook. He’s 6-0 and about 210 pounds.

“We had to get some quarterbacks,“ offensive coordinator Neal Brown said. “We only had three on scholarship. Most teams have five, and now we’ve got five.“

On Corey Robinson.: “A kid that the sky’s the limit for. He’s played in this offense and we’ve seen him in camp. The stats are off the charts.“

On Dan Parker: “Great athlete, played in a shotgun offense, super mature, great leader. With both of those kids, the quarterback position is in good hands for the forseeable future.“

Troy has a basketball game tonight

Drew Champlin

It’s at Denver. Apologies for not having a preview up, but with the struggles of this team all year long, it seems like the demand isn’t there. I’ll keep giving the team credit on the effor part, but the pieces of the puzzle just aren’t there.

Meanwhile, Denver is a team that’s running out of players and doesn’t have a whole lot of talent, but new coach Joe Scott has to be in the running for Sun Belt Coach of the Year. The Pioneers haven’t lost in the conference at home and that’s because other teams feel like poop once they step off the plane and run around in that arena at that altitude. On the flip side, Denver feels like that when it goes on the road. The Princeton offense has worked wonders for that club because it has no real superstars.

Anyway, my prediction is Denver 59, Troy 52