Troy Adds 21 To Football Signing Day Roster

Troy University football head coach Larry Blakeney announced the signing of 21 student-athletes to a National Letter of Intent at a press conference Wednesday afternoon. Wednesday's signees join three mid-year additions to the program to make up the 2013 recruiting class.

 

Troy's 2013 class includes a pair of players - linebacker Sam Lebbie and cornerback Keion Payne - who earned four-star ratings from Scout and ESPN. Scout rated Lebbie as the No. 6 middle linebacker in the nation in 2012 and tabbed Payne the nation's No. 19 cornerback coming out of high school. The Trojans also added the nation's No. 3 fullback (ESPN) in Joshua Anderson and seven student-athletes who were rated as three-star recruits by Scout, Rivals, ESPN or 247Sports.

 

The signing class features student-athletes from eight different states led by 12 players from Alabama, four from Georgia and three from Florida. The Trojans signed 11 offensive players between Wednesday's signees and the mid-year additions, while 13 new defensive players inked with Troy.

 

Additionally, Troy welcomed five players who took a grayshirt in the fall to the program in January - defensive back Rishad Goode (Madison, Ala. / Bob Jones HS), linebacker Terris Lewis (Linden, Ala. / Linden HS), linebacker Mitchell Roland (Auburn, Ala. / Auburn HS), quarterback Brandon Silvers (Gulf Shores, Ala. / Gulf Shores HS) and defensive end Jamal Stadom (Melbourne, Fla. / Melbourne HS).

 

2013 Troy Signing Class

 

* Mid-year signee

 

Signing Class by Position (Offense 11, Defense 13)

Running Back - 2

Wide Receiver - 3

Offensive Lineman - 5

Athlete - 1

Defensive Lineman - 5

Linebacker - 2

Defensive Back - 6

 

Signing Class by State

Alabama - 12

Georgia - 4

Florida - 3

Maryland - 1

Mississippi - 1

Oklahoma - 1

South Carolina - 1

Texas - 1

 

Arie Anderson, Defensive Tackle, 6-3, 285, Millbrook, Ala. (Stanhope Elmore HS)

Named to the Montgomery Advertiser All-Metro Defense following his senior season at Stanhope Elmore High School ... Named to The Progress All-Elmore County Team after he tallied 95 tackles and eight sacks ... Rated as the 84th best defensive tackle in the nation, the 48th best player in Alabama and a three-star recruit by 247Sports ... Rated as a three-star recruit by Rivals ... Earned first team all-area honors following his junior season in which he recorded 72 tackles, 18.0 tackles for loss and eight sacks ... As a sophomore, helped the Mustangs reach the third round of the Alabama 6A playoffs ... Recorded 81 tackles, two sacks and two forced fumbles in 2010 en route to an all-county selection

 

Joshua Anderson, Running Back, 5-11, 230, Douglasville, Ga. (South Paulding HS)

Named first team all-region in 2012 as a linebacker and helped the South Paulding Spartans to a 6-4 record ... Rated as a three-star recruit by both ESPN and Scout ... Ranked by ESPN as the No. 3 fullback in the country and as the No. 6 fullback in the nation by Scout ... Rushed for 623 yards on 104 carries his senior season ... Led South Paulding in rushing touchdowns with 12 and was also the fourth-leading tackler with 48, with one interception and one forced fumble ... Recorded 14 receptions his senior season to tie for the team lead ... Led South Paulding in tackles in 2010 with 63 to go alone with 4.5 tackles for loss and 7.9 tackles per game ... Played in the Rising Senior All-Star Game in Dec. 2011 in the Georgia Dome

 

Jordan Chunn, Running Back, 6-0, 211, Gurley, Ala. (Madison County HS)

Named Offensive Player of the Year by the Huntsville Times after totaling nearly 2,900 yards of offense his senior year ... Rushed for 2,229 yards and scored 43 touchdowns (receptions, rushes and special teams) in 2012 ... Named the Alabama 4A Back of the Year and led Madison County High School to a No. 3 ranking in the state of Alabama; Madison County amassed a school-record 12 wins and made its first ever appearance in the state semifinals ... Also played defense back and recorded 155 tackles, seven sacks and four interceptions ... Rated by 247Sports as the 72nd best player in Alabama

 

Jaylen Daniels, Defensive End, 6-3, 205, Vienna, Ga. (Dooly County HS)

Named to the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) 4A First Team his senior season after recording 87 tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss and 32 quarterback hurries ... Helped lead the Bobcats to the GHSA Class A Public School Championship Game after Dooley County finished 11-3 ... Also played tight end ... As a junior and sophomore, helped the Bobcats to a first round berth in the Georgia 4A playoffs

 

Taylor Driggers, Defensive Tackle, 6-2, 250, Brantley, Ala. (Brantley HS)

Helped the Brantley Bulldogs to a Alabama 1A State Championship his freshman and senior seasons ... As a senior, led the Bulldogs to a perfect 15-0 record with only 47 points allowed and shutouts in 11 of their 15 games ... Brantley shutout five straight opponents spanning from the end of the regular season into the playoffs ... Brantley shutout its last three opponents, including a 33-0 victory over Marion County in the 1A State Championship Game; Marion County came into the game averaging over 50 points a contest ... Brantley finished the 2012 season ranked No. 1 in the state by the Alabama Sports Writers Association ... Also played offensive tackle ... Recorded eight tackles and two tackles for loss in the 2012 1A State Championship Game and paved the way for  the Bulldogs to rush for 255 yards as an offensive tackle ... Named all-state and all-county in 2011 after recording 89 tackles, 11 sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery 

 

Taylor Edwards, Offensive Lineman, 6-4, 290, Water Valley, Miss. (Water Valley HS)

Named to the 2012 WCBI All-End Zone Team ... Rated as a three-star recruit, the 84th best guard in the nation and the 27th best player in Mississippi by 247Sports ... Rated as the 25th best player in the state of Mississippi and as the 126th best guard in the nation by ESPN  ... Rated as the 122nd best guard in the nation by Scout ... Helped lead Water Valley High School to a second round appearance in the Mississippi 3A Playoffs his senior season ... Finished his senior campaign 10-3 and helped lead the Blue Devil offense to 265 rushing yards per game while scoring 37 points per game ... Played in the 2012 Bernard Blackwell All-Star Game ...  Named one of the top 40 players in the state of Mississippi by BulldogBlitz (Rivals) prior to his senior season ... Helped the Blue Devils reach the third round of the Mississippi 3A playoffs his sophomore and junior seasons and a second round appearance his freshman season ... Earned second team all-state honors as a junior ... Named to the Region 2-3A Super 22 Team as a junior in addition to earning Oxford Eagle All-Area Team honors

 

Xavier Fields, Offensive Lineman, 6-4, 345, Montgomery, Ala. (Stanhope Elmore HS)

Honorable mention selection on the 2012 Alabama Sports Writers Association All-State Team after helping lead Stanhope Elmore to an 8-3 record and a berth in the first round of the Alabama 6A playoffs ... Named to the 2012 All-Elmore County Team ... Named all-area by the Wetumpka Herald and first team all-metro by the Montgomery Advertiser his junior season

 

David Gross, Offensive Lineman, 6-6, 295, Montgomery, Ala. (Trinity Presbyterian HS)

Named to the 2012 Alabama Sports Writers Association All-State Team ... Helped lead Trinity Presbyterian High School to playoff appearances in all four of his seasons ... As a senior, led the Wildcats to the second round of the Alabama 3A playoffs after recording 39 tackles and 7.0 tackles for loss ... Rated as one of the top 60 players in Alabama by ESPN ... Rated as the 103rd best guard in the nation by 247Sports ... As a junior, he finished the season with 42 tackles and 3.0 tackles for loss ... Was a key element of the Wildcats defense his sophomore season as he totaled 75 tackles and 14.0 tackles for loss ... Played solely defensive line his first two years before committing to both sides of the ball halfway through his junior season ... Also played basketball for the Wildcats

 

Dondrell Harris, Defensive Back, 5-11, 180, Panama City, Fla. (Rutherford HS)

Played quarterback, defensive back and wide receiver for Rutherford High School ... Rated as the 64th best dual threat player in the county by 247Sports ... Earned all-county honors for the Rams and started at quarterback as a sophomore ... Also played baseball and earned all-county honors ... His head coach, Alvin Dempsey, played for the Trojans from 1994-96

 

Jalen Harris, Wide Receiver, 6-1, 185, Dothan, Ala. (Northview HS)

Named to the Dothan Eagle Super 12 Football Team his senior season after accounting for nearly 3,000 yards - he passed for 1,996 and rushed for 834 ... Threw 17 touchdown passes and ran for nine more as a senior... As a junior, passed for 1,150 yards with 13 touchdowns in eight games ... Finished his sophomore season with 245 yards rushing and two touchdowns to go along with 925 passing yards seven touchdowns ... Father, Eddie Harris, played basketball at Troy ... Also played basketball at Northview High School ... High school teammate of current Troy wide receiver B.J. Chitty

 

Sam Lebbie, Linebacker, 6-2, 240, Hyattsville, Md. (DeMatha Catholic HS)

Rated as the No. 6 middle linebacker in the country and as a four-star recruit by Scout coming out of DeMatha Catholic High School in 2012 ... Four-star recruit and ranked as the sixth best player in the state of Maryland by ESPN ... Rated as a three-star recruit and as the 23rd best player in the state of Maryland by Rivals ...Tom Lemming Top Inside Linebacker ... Spent the 2012 season at the Atlanta Sports Academy after graduating from DeMatha Catholic in the spring of 2012 ... Was a three-year starter for the Stags and finished his career with a combined 26-9 record ... Finished 2011 with 79 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, eight sacks and seven forced fumbles ... Played in the 2011 Chesapeake Bowl, where he was named Most Physical Player by Rivals ... Named to the 2011 Washington Post All-Metro first team defense ... Member of the 2011 Maryland Consensus all-state defense and Maryland big school first team defense

 

Tim Longmire, Athlete, 6-0, 195, Tallahassee, Fla. (Godby HS)

Helped lead Godby High School to a 14-1 record and a Florida 5A State Championship as a senior ... As a senior, rushed for 490 yards and 11 touchdowns on 80 carries; also caught 36 passes for 532 yards and eight scores ... Finished his senior campaign as the team's leading scorer with 114 total points and 19 touchdowns ... Ranked as the 97th best running back in the nation and as a three-star recruit by 247Sports ... Ranked as the 101st best running back in the nation and as a three-star recruit by ESPN ... Ranked as the 137th best running back in the nation and as a three-star recruit by Scout ... As a junior, played for Leon High School and rushed for 850 yards and five scores and caught 15 passes for 165 yards ... Also played defense and finished with 22 tackles and two interceptions as a junior 

 

Cardell Lue, Defensive Back, 6-0, 185, Carrollton, Texas (Hebron HS)

Earned first team all-district (5-5A) honors as a senior after totaling 24 tackles and three interceptions ... Also saw time returning kicks for the Hawks ... Helped lead Hebron High School to a first round berth in the Texas 5A playoffs ... Honorable mention selection to the 5-5A all-district team as a junior ... Named to the Texas Prep Stars 11 in 2012

 

Julius McCall, Defensive Back, 5-10, 170, Chelsea, Ala. (Chelsea HS)

Named the Birmingham News Shelby County Player of the Year in 2012 after rushing for 1,750 yards on 226 carries with 20 touchdowns ... Named to the 2012 Alabama Sports Writers Association All-State Football Team as a running back ... Ranked as the 41st best all-purpose player in the country, the 56th best player in Alabama and as a three-star recruit by 247Sports ... As a junior, helped lead Chelsea High School to a 7-4 record and a first round berth in the Alabama 6A playoffs ... As a sophomore, helped the Hornets to an 8-3 record and a first round appearance in the Alabama 6A playoffs ... Also played basketball for the Hornets

 

Brett Medforth, Offensive Lineman, 6-3, 245, Sylacauga, Ala. (Sylacauga HS)

Named to the Alabama Sports Writers Association 5A All-State Team as an honorable mention selection his senior year after helping lead Sylacauga High School to the playoffs ... Averaged seven pancake blocks per game as a senior ... First Sylacauga football player to sign with an FBS program since 1998 ... As a sophomore, helped the Aggies to a 9-3 record and an appearance in the Alabama 5A playoffs ... Played on both offense and defense

 

Zach Moore, Linebacker, 6-1, 200, Douglas, Ga. (Coffee County HS)

Named first team all-region (1-5A) his senior year at Coffee County High School ... Was the leading tackler for the Trojans as a senior with 81 tackles and five tackles for loss ... As a junior, tallied 116 solo tackles and 47 assists to go along with a pair of interceptions, including one returned 75 yards for a touchdown ... Named to the all-state watch list prior to the 2012 season ... Also played basketball for Coffee County

 

Clark Quisenberry, Wide Receiver, 6-3, 205, Enterprise, Ala. (Enterprise HS)

Named to the Alabama Sports Writers Association 6A All-State Team as an honorable mention selection following his junior season as a tight end ... Selected to play in the 2012 Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game as a running back ... Helped the Wildcats to a 7-4 record and a first round playoff berth as a senior as the Wildcats' quarterback ... As a junior, caught 37 passes for 692 yards and five touchdowns ... Also played basketball and baseball in high school

 

Seth Roberts, Defensive Tackle, 6-4, 250, Ariton, Ala. (Ariton HS)

Named to the Alabama Sports Writers Association 2A All-State Team as a senior after recording 137 tackles and a defensive touchdown; also tallied five forced fumbles, 10 sacks, one blocked field goal and three total touchdowns at Ariton High School ... Named to the Wiregrass/Dothan Eagle Super 12 Football Team following his senior season ... As a junior, recorded 65 tackles, six forced fumbles, three sacks, two blocked field goals and one fumble recovery ... As a sophomore, played in 10 games and was credited with 77 tackles, five sacks and one safety ... Also played offense and special teams, racking up 1,447 punting yards on 39 attempts ... Finished his career with 279 tackles, 18 sacks - 145 yards for loss, 21 forced fumbles, three blocked field goals and one forced safety

 

Bryan Slater, Defensive Tackle, 6-2, 268, Mobile, Ala. (St. Paul's Episcopal HS)

Named second team all-region as a senior after helping lead St. Paul's Episcopal High School to a semifinal appearance in the Alabama 5A playoffs; St. Paul's finished the season ranked 12th in the state by Max Preps ... Ranked as the 108th best strong-side defensive end and as the 102nd best player in Alabama by 247Sports ... As a junior, helped lead St. Paul's to the third round of the playoffs ... Also a member of the track and field team

 

Montavious Smoke, Defensive Back, 6-1, 182, Millbrook, Ala. (Stanhope Elmore HS)

Named to The Progress 2012 All-Elmore County Team as a senior at Stanhope Elmore High School ... Rated as the 89th best cornerback in the nation, the 36th best player in Alabama and as a three-star recruit by 247Sports ... Also named to the 2012 Montgomery Advertiser All-Metro Team as a senior ... As a junior, tallied 57 solo tackles and five interceptions ... As a sophomore, helped the Mustangs reach the third round of the Alabama 6A playoffs ... Also played on offense and handled the punting duties for the Mustangs

 

Jevius Terry, Defensive Back, 5-9, 160, McDonough, Ga. (Eagles Landing Christian Academy)

Named to the GSAW Class A All-State Team, the Atlanta Journal Constitution Class A Team (honorable mention), the All-Southern Crescent Second Team and the Class A Region 5 Second Team following his senior year at Eagles Landing Christian Academy ... Rated as a three-star recruit by 247Sports ... Helped lead the Chargers to a 33-0 victory over Prince Avenue Christian in the Georgia Class A Private School State Championship Game; Eagles Landing finished the year 13-1 ... As a junior, helped the Chargers to a 12-1 record and berth in the state semifinals