Troy Football Preview, Best Players, Top Transfers, Season Prediction, Win Total 2024

Troy College Football Preview 2024

Good luck repeating THAT.

Troy went from a fantastic 31-8 run in the final three seasons of the Neal Brown era to a fine-but-not-good-enough stretch of three straight five-win seasons under Chip Lindsey.

In came Jon Sumrall and his high-powered offense, it all rocked going 23-4 with two straight Sun Belt titles, and off he went to Tulane.

Gerad Parker was an interim head coach for a half a season at Purdue in 2016 and went 0-6. Mostly a wide receivers coach, he locked on for two years as the offensive coordinator at West Virginia, and last year was the OC at Notre Dame.

Now he’s being given a shot to keep the O going at Troy.

Not only did the Trojans lose Sumrall, but few teams in America lost as much production. The transfer portal will help, but there will be near-wholesale changes in the secondary, on the offensive line, at the skill spots, and …

Troy is used to winning and winning a lot - merely rebuilding won’t be enough. There’s still a good group around, the kicking game might be the best in the Sun Belt, and a slew of players have been waiting for their shot to take over.

For a program that’s used to so much success, it’s a true Sun Belt X factor, but …

Troy Football Preview 2024: Offense

- Gerad Parker is an offensive coordinator by trade and OC Sean Reagan should help keep the passing game going after a huge 2023.The 415 points last year were the most scored by a Troy team since 2016, but just about all of the key parts have to be replaced.

- The quarterback situation has to be settled fast. Goose Crowder was the No. 2 man last year behind Gunnar Watson - he threw for almost 3,600 yards with 27 touchdowns and six picks - but a slew of transfers will give it a shot making it five quarterbacks in the mix.

The receiving corps is there to make it all go. Leading receiver Jabre Barber is gone after making 75 grabs, but Chris Lewis is back after leading the team with ten touchdowns averaging 23 yards per catch. Devonte Ross is a decent inside target, and former Oregon State Beaver Zurich Beason is coming in for the outside.

- The offensive line that was so good overall in pass protection has to put it all together in fall camp. Daniel King might be the best guard in the Sun Belt and Eli Russ is a terrific center, but JUCO transfers Zak Bowden at tackle and Zerian Hudson at guard have to shine on the left side.

Leading rusher Kimani Vidal is gone after running for 1,441 yards and 14 scores, but Damien Taylor was a good No. 2 who should step up into the bigger role. In from East Carolina is veteran Gerald Green - he could take over the gig for stretches.

Troy Football Preview 2024: Defense

- It’ll take plenty of work to keep the production going. Troy was told offensively, but it won the Sun Belt title with the league’s best defense that allowed 17 points or fewer in nine of the last 12 games. The big problem is …

- There’s no replacing that pass rush. Javon Solomon made 16 sacks from his spot on the end, and edge rusher Richard Jibunor came up with ten on the other side. The hope is for Cincinnati transfer Jah-Mal Williams to rise up on the edge with the bigger opportunity, and understudy Raymond Cutts now gets the starring role in Solomon’s place.

The Trojans are incredibly thin at tackle - Julian Peterson and Luis Medina have time logged in, but they have to shine as starters.

- The linebackers are home grown, the secondary is almost all new. Jordan Stringer might be the best returning defender - he was third on the team with 68 tackles from his outside linebacker job. Terry Thomas is one of the few veterans back on D - he’ll move to the middle of the linebacking corps after making 41 stops last season.

Justin Powe worked behind star Dell Pettus last year at free safety. He’s the lone man back with four transfers in the other spots, highlighted by Kansas State Jordan Perry at one safety job and NC State’s Cecil Powell stepping in at strong safety.

Key To The Troy Football Season

Rely on the running game early on.
The offense will want to keep throwing it, but it’ll be a new starting quarterback with a slew of new receivers. Everything flowed better for the Trojans when they ran well, going 9-0 when running for 100 yards and 3-3 when they didn’t.

Troy Key Player

Jah-Mal Williams, BANDIT, Jr.
Richard Jibunor was a machine on the edge over the last four years. He stepped in from Auburn and made 175 tackles with 30.5 sacks and 47 tackles for loss as a game-wrecker for the Trojan D.

The 6-4, 230-pound Williams was a top special teamer for Cincinnati, but now he has to turn into a pass rushing terror as a key part of front six.

Troy Football Top Transfer, Biggest Transfer Loss

Top Transfer In: Gerald Green, RB Sr.
Damien Taylor should be the main man for the ground game, but Green is a quick veteran who should make a lot of noise right away. He didn’t do much for East Carolina last year, but he was dangerous at Georgia Southern averaging 5.7 yards per carry with 1,456 yards and 13 touchdowns in his four seasons.

Top Transfer Out: Jabre Barber, WR Sr.
The Trojan receiving corps will be fine, but it lost its main man. He broke out last season with 75 catches for 999 yards and five scores, but Texas A&M picked him up. Unfortunately, he’s hurt with a foot problem and will be out for a few months.

Troy Key Game

Texas State, Oct. 3
In a bit of a rebuilding year, the Trojans need to establish themselves right away in the Sun Belt race. The opener against ULM shouldn’t be a problem, but starting in mid-October four games in five are on the road. Texas State - a GOOD Texas State - is the last game before that all gets going.

10 Best Troy Football Players

1. Daniel King, OG Sr.
2. Chris Lewis, WR Jr.
3. Jordan Stringer, LB Jr.
4. Goose Crowder, QB Jr.
5. Damien Taylor, RB Jr.
6. Eli Russ, C Jr.
7. Ethan Conner, TE Sr.
8. Jordan Perry, S Soph.
9. Scott Taylor Renfroe, PK Jr.
10. Robert Cole, P Sr.

Troy 2023 Fun Stats

- Troy 1st Quarter Scoring: 48, 2nd Quarter Scoring 139

- Touchdowns Scored: Troy 51, Opponents 27

- Sacks: Troy 47 for 330 yards, Opponents 26 for 197 yards

Troy Football 2024 Win Total Prediction: What to Expect This Season

The team might need a little bit of a tune-up, and it’s not going to get it.

Nevada at home to start isn’t bad, but going to Memphis and Iowa over the next two weeks will be a struggle.

And then it all eases up fast.

There’s no Appalachian State, James Madison, Marshall, or Georgia State from the Sun Belt East. Texas State is a home game, and so is Coastal Carolina.

However, there’s a run of four road games in five dates, but none of them are impossible. Even so, there will be a few too many dangerous moments to get close to another double-digit win season.

That doesn’t mean the Trojans can’t be deep in the mix for another Sun Belt West title.

Set The Troy Win Total At … 6.5

Likely Wins: Florida A&M, Nevada, ULM

50/50 Games: at Arkansas State, Coastal Carolina, at Georgia Southern, at Louisiana, Southern Miss, Texas State, ULM

Likely Losses: at Iowa, at Memphis

2024 Troy Football Schedule

Aug 31 Nevada
Sept 7 at Memphis
Sept 14 at Iowa
Sept 21 Florida A&M
Sept 28 ULM
Oct 3 Texas State
Oct 12 OPEN DATE
Oct 15 at South Alabama
Oct 26 at Arkansas State
Nov 2 Coastal Carolina
Nov 9 OPEN DATE
Nov 16 at Georgia Southern
Nov 23 at Louisiana
Nov 30 Southern Miss
Missing: Appalachian State, Georgia State, James Madison, Marshall, Old Dominion