Super Bowl Update

Troy will add 15 guys who are on scholarship in January. That's a lot, but when you're 3-9, some changes in personnel need to be made or take care of themselves. Troy's coaches should be commended for pulling in what looks to be a good JUCO class on paper and we'll see who stands out this spring. We'll go position by position.

This is a lot, but remember that Troy was 3-9 last year.

***The biggest thing I take is that, with the defensive signees, they're really looking for guys to come in and play big roles right away, regardless of how many returning starters are coming back. I think the offense is pretty set and loaded up with some good-looking high school receivers. Troy certainly needs that and some guys on defense who can make some stops.

QUARTERBACK - Troy signed Deon Anthony from Hinds CC in Mississippi. He had interest from Pitt, but Pitt's coach left. So, Anthony will fight for a spot and if he doesn't win the starting spot, he at least gives much more options for a defense to contend with. If he gets run out there for a wildcat on 1st and 10 or 2nd and 5, defenses have to respect the pass.

RUNNING BACK - No January signees

WIDE RECEIVER - Jamel Johnson is back after a productive year in JUCO. No doubt, Corey Robinson missed him and Chip Reeves, who is also expected to be back in the fall but isn't a signee. If you're talking about guys who can catch the ball and get more yards, or win jump balls, these two are playmakers. For the non-January guys, Cody Core could end up being the top high school recruit and is a big guy that can make plays. Troy is holding off interest from other schools, such as Kentucky.

OFFENSIVE LINE - Chris Hawkins from Hutchinson, CC in Kansas is the lone midyear guy here. He'll have three years left to play two and I think his future spot is at tackle, but coach John Schlarman is good at getting guys to learn how to play different positions effectively. Bart Whigham from Northview was supposed to be a 2011 grayshirt, but didn't qualify.

DEFENSIVE LINE - The big "name" here is Lonnie Gosha, who left Arkansas midway through the year. He's from Lake Butler, Fla., and was a three-star recruit. He'd have to sit out this year unless a hardship is approved, but he's a guy that can be a difference-making defensive tackle down the line. He wanted to get back closer to home. Brandon Timmons is a DE from Northwest Miss., and he'll certainly have a chance to win a starting spot. Troy might have liked to sign another midyear DL, but there is still the spring period to find some players who can come in this summer and look to help out immediately.

LINEBACKERS - Big group here. The headliner may be Mark Wilson, who flunked out after last year at Troy and made his way to Fullerton, Ca. where he blew up and got offers from big schools and at one time was committed to Arkansas. But he wanted to be back at Troy and called coaches every week and after a thorough review, they took him back. Wilson has three years left to play three. Eli Canton from NE Miss CC will be a sophomore with four years left to play three and he's a huge guy, right frame of mind off the field, nasty streak on the field who has pre-med aspirations. His JUCO coach compared him to Brian Urlacher. That's quite a comparison, but he certainly could be a good player. Wayland Coleman-Dancer and Brandon Powe lined up side by side at Mississippi Delta CC. Coleman-Dancer is more of an OLB and Powe is a bigger, MLB type.

DEFENSIVE BACK - Troy has a pair of high school guys coming in with Shaq Beverly (early graduate) and Chris Davis (grayshirt). It sounds like Jeremy Spikner from NE Mississippi CC has a chance to be a real good one, and he'll have a spring to earn a starting spot. Martrez Townes from Itawamba CC is a guy that could be a nickel, so maybe I should have listed him among the linebackers.

SPECIAL TEAMS - Troy signed Will Scott to come in and punt, and Ryan Kay is a grayshirt and he'll be given a crack to win the kicking job.