Super Bowl Update

Troy began practice on Thursday

The story in Friday's paper focuses on five newcomers who were brought on to make an immediate impact. None were here for spring ball, so how quick will the grasp be? They sure look the part. You can read it in the Friday print edition of the Dothan Eagle, or on dothaneagle.com HERE.

BY DREW CHAMPLIN | dchamplin@dothaneagle.com

TROY – It was the beginning of practice for Troy’s football team this fall, but it was also time to introduce five new faces the Trojans are counting on to help out the defense.

Defensive tackles Xavier Melton and Derrek Upshaw and cornerbacks T.J. Bryant, Lenyatta Kiles and Zach Miller were all sought-after recruits that Troy was able to land, but none arrived in time to go through spring practice.

That means they have less than a month to get their assignments down before Troy’s Sept. 1 season opener at UAB.

“I thought they did good on day one,” defensive coordinator Jeremy Rowell said. “The learning curve is not bad. I think they have an idea and I think they’re going to catch on pretty quick.

“Skill-wise, it’s tough to tell some because they’re trying to catch on to what we’re doing, but athletically, they are what we thought they were.”

Four of the five have played football at other Football Bowl Subdivision schools. The fifth – Miller – was going to sign with North Carolina out of high school, but went to Butler County (Kan.) Community College. He earned junior college All-America honors last year, intercepting eight passes.

He’s competing with a host of other cornerbacks – Kiles, Bryant and returners Bryan Willis and Ethan Davis and newcomers Shaq Beverly and Jeremy Spikner, who were on campus this spring.

“As practice went on, I was starting to pick up on it naturally,” Miller said. “I’ve still got a few adjustments to make.”

Kiles and Bryant are fifth-year senior transfers who have graduated. Kiles graduated from Indiana and Bryant is originally from Tallahassee, Fla., but played at Southern Cal for four years and graduated. The two are eligible for one year provided they pick a graduate course of study not offered by their previous school.

Bryant went to the same high school – Lincoln High - as current Troy linebacker Mark Wilson and former Troy linebacker Xavier Lamb.

“It’s exciting to know that a lot more of my family can come out here and visit me, but in the end, the football field is 100 yards long and 50 yards wide, and I’m just here to play football,” Bryant said.

Upshaw started his career at Sun Belt rival Middle Tennessee before transferring to Jones County (Miss.) Community College. Melton was at Purdue for two years and played last year at Butler County with Miller.

Melton is listed at 6-foot-3 and 310 pounds – size Troy hasn’t had in the past few years inside – and is expected to be a force right away. Upshaw is also bigger than most Troy defensive tackles, listed at 6-foot-2 and 287 pounds.

“(Their size is) definitely going to be a good asset to us,” Rowell said. “It makes us a little more of a presence in there with things going on. You’ve got to be prepared to block them.”

Melton said he was ready for the challenge. He’ll compete with returning inside players such as juniors Aaron Williams and Shermane TeArt and senior Kyle Lucas. Junior John Clark has also played inside.

“My main goal is to dominate the line of scrimmage every play,” Melton said. “We’ve got a faster pace here at Troy so you get winded, but you’ve got to stay at it and create havoc in the backfield.”