Dear Editor,

When Jon Sumrall recently left Troy to take the head coaching position at Tulane, he left behind a successful program and more importantly, a passion for Trojan football.

As passionate as he was, he only had loose ties to Troy as a former assistant to Neal Brown.

In a new coach to continue Troy’s path into college football’s hierarchy, the University needs not only someone with Sumrall’s passion, but a coach with even more passion for Troy.

That man is Jordan Lesley.

Currently as the defensive coordinator at West Virginia, he has helped turn the Mountaineers into a bowl team in a short time. After missing the postseason for several seasons, Lesley’s defense has WVU ready to take on North Carolina in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.

Coincidentally, Troy will battle the Tar Heels’ arch rival Duke in the Birmingham Bowl.

Lesley is not only a great coach, great leader, and a family man — he is a Troy man.

A former captain of the Trojans under legendary coach Larry Blakeney, he has also coached at Troy and immersed himself into the community.

He was a member of Troy’s first FBS bowl team, after graduation he proved to be a leader of young men as a graduate assistant and later as a fulltime coach with the Trojans.

He has also coached in the junior college ranks winning championships at that level.

Now, along with Brown, he is leading the charge to put West Virginia on the college football map once again.

Lesley’s football knowledge, his ties to the University and his passion for Troy makes him the perfect fit for the Trojans’ head coaching vacancy.

As the lyric wrote, “Almost heaven, West Virginia, take me home country roads.”

Hopefully that country road is Highway 231 to bring him home to Pike County.

For Lesley and Troy, that truly could be heaven.

– Steve Barnes