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On Thursday, the Troy Trojans landed a pair of commitments in junior college (JUCO) offensive lineman Carlos Slayden and Paducah, Ky. quarterback Jack James.

James is a 6-foot, 205-pound quarterback that is rated as a three-star recruit from 247Sports. He’s also ranked as the No. 12 overall prospect in Kentucky and chose to sign with Troy over offers from schools like Kentucky, Tulane, Charlotte, Eastern Kentucky, Miami (Ohio), Massachusetts and Old Dominion.

James set Paducah Tilghman’s all-time passing touchdown record as just a junior this past season. James completed 255-of-375 passes for 4,019 yards and 56 touchdowns with just six interceptions in 2023. He also scored six rushing touchdowns.

He won the Kentucky Prep Gridiron Big School Offensive Player of the Year in 2023. His success isn’t limited to the football field, however. James won a Kentucky State Championship in wrestling in the 215-pound division this season, as well.

The Paducah name may be familiar to Troy fans as Troy legend Corey Robinson was known as the “Paducah Bazooka” during his time with the Trojans. Robinson threw for 13,477 yards and 81 touchdowns during his tenure with the Trojans and now, he’s the offensive coordinator for James at Paducah Tilghman. Robinson’s quarterbacks coach during his time at Troy was also Sean Reagan, who is now the offensive coordinator at Troy.

https://twitter.com/CarlosSlayden2/status/1653163804090310656

Troy also landed a commitment from JUCO offensive lineman Carlos Slayden II from Tyler Junior College on Thursday. Slayden is a 6-foot-4-inch, 290-pound offensive lineman that played all five positions on the line for Tyler. Slayden even caught a touchdown pass this past season.

Slayden chose to commit to Troy over offers from schools like Sam Houston State, Houston Christian, Eastern Kentucky, Massachusetts, Nicholls State, Texas A&M Commerce and Liberty. Slayden will graduate from Tyler in the spring.