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The Troy University Football team signed 15 players in the Early Signing Period of National Signing Day on Dec. 4.

Troy signed one quarterback, two linebackers, two running backs, two receivers, three safeties, two defensive linemen and three offensive lineman in this signing class with players hailing from all over the Southeast.

A total of nine of the 15 are from in-state in Alabama with one player from Kentucky, one from Mississippi, one from Ohio, two from Georgia and one from Florida. Troy landed two junior college transfers with the rest being high school seniors.

“Of the 15 players we signed today, nine are from high schools in Alabama,” Troy Coach Gerad Parker said. “The thing I am most proud of is that all 15 of these players were seen in live evaluations through spring recruiting, camps or going to watch games in the fall. It also tells you something about our signees, that all of them were not afraid of competing for a spot in a live evaluation.

“We believe that is what Troy is about. We want guys that want to compete and do it front of coaches and other players and I think that’s what this class represents.”

While Troy landed 15 signees on signing day, there’s more still to come in the next couple of months.

“There’s still plenty of work to be done,” Parker emphatically said. “There’s some open spots that we have done very much on purpose. We’ll work on filling those spots with upper classmen transfers and JUCO players as we move to close out this class.”

While Parker didn’t want to get specific on which positions Troy will look to add transfers from in the coming weeks, he said there will be spots filled on both sides of the ball.

“We’re going to enhance our roster at every position the best we can,” he said. “A high tide raises all ships. Our job is to make each room as competitive as we can. There are multiple spots on both sides of the ball that we’re going close out on. You’re going to see upwards of four to six players as we close it out be added in totality.”

Possibly the crown jewel of Troy’s signing class is the lone quarterback, Paducah Tilghman High School’s Jack James. James is a 6-foot, 215-pound three-star rated quarterback from Paducah, Ky., who plays for legendary Troy quarterback Corey Robinson at Paducah Tilghman.

“Coach (Sean) Reagan knew a lot about him and had recruited him (at West Virginia) and we developed a great relationship with (Corey Robinson), his coach,” Parker said of James. “There have been a lot of great quarterbacks in that state and for him to be there statistically with all of those great quarterbacks says a lot about him as a passer. He is so accurate, has great anticipatory skills to throw into windows that don’t look like they’re there.”

As a junior, James earned Kentucky Prep Gridiron Big School Offensive Player of the Year throwing for 4,019 yards and 56 touchdowns with just six interceptions.

As a senior, James threw for 3,253 yards and 47 touchdowns with seven interceptions heading into the playoffs. In the 4A State Semifinals, James threw five touchdown passes to lead his school to the State Championship, to be played later this week.

James enters the state championship with 13,642 career passing yards and 180 career passing touchdowns. He needs just one passing yard and five completions to break the state record in both stats.

James was also a star wrestler in high school, winning a state championship in the 215-pound division.

East Central Community College transfer Donnie Smith is rated as the No. 1 junior college (JUCO) linebacker in this signing class and the No. 17 rated overall JUCO player. Smith played for Greenville St. Joseph School in Mississippi and started his college career at East Central Community College.

“Donnie Smith came to our camp before the season started and we evaluated him there and worked with him and he committed to us right there and stayed committed to us despite having several offers throughout the season,” said Parker. “When you watch his film, you see an explosive player, a great pass rusher and a very productive tackler. His length, and who he is as a human being, is something that will jump out to you when you see him in the spring.”

As a freshman in college, he earned 25 tackles, seven tackles-for-loss, four sacks and two forced fumbles. As a sophomore this season, he’s tallied 95 tackles, 21 tackles-for-loss, 9.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. Smith earned All-MACCC honors this season.

Paul Bowling is a 6-foot-4-inch, 300-pound three-star rated offensive tackle from Marietta, Ga. He signed with Troy over offers from numerous other schools like Liberty, Toledo, Miami (Ohio), Central Michigan, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Marshall, Temple and others.

He started at offensive tackle, offensive guard and center during his senior year at McEarchern High School.

Dariyonne Bryant is a 6-foot-2-inch, 175-pound receiver transferring to Troy from Highland Community College. He earned 43 catches for 871 yards and six touchdowns at Highland Community College in Kansas as a sophomore this past season. In two seasons at Highland, he’s tallied 62 catches for 1,155 yards and 11 touchdowns. Bryant earned First-Team All-KJCCC honors at Highland this past season.

“Dariyonne Bryant is one those kids we’ve been on and tracking for some time,” Parker emphasized. “He is one of the more productive receivers in junior college. We feel good about his ball skills and his explosiveness and he’s had a ton of production.”

Bryant held offers from other schools like Toledo, Coastal Carolina, Temple, North Texas, Utah State, UTSA and Massachusetts.

He’s rated as the No. 1 JUCO receiver in the country and No. 9 rated JUCO player overall. He played high school football at Portsmouth High School in Ohio and started his college career at Charleston, where he redshirted as a freshman before transferring to Highland.

JT Alvis is a three-star rated safety from Helena High School. The 6-foot-1-inch, 200-pound defensive back held a number of Power 4 offers, choosing Troy over other schools like Arkansas, Duke, Georgia Tech, Cincinnati, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Missouri, Penn State, Texas A&M, West Virginia and numerous others.

Alvis played both corner and safety at Helena. He tallied 59 tackles, four interceptions, a fumble recovery and 10 pass breakups as a junior and senior. He’s rated as the No. 43 overall player in Alabama and No. 92-ranked safety nationally by ESPN.

Dakarai Shanks is a 5-foot-10-inch, 205-pound running back from Spain Park High School in Hoover. He’s a three-star rated running back that signed with Troy over offers from other schools like Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Southeaster Missouri State and UAB.

As a senior, Shanks ran for 1,257 yards and 11 touchdowns on 203 carries for Spain Park. He also caught seven passes for 133 yards and two scores. He’s rated as the No. 58 overall player in Alabama by On3Sports.

Reggis “RJ” Shamberger is a three-star rated 6-foot-4-inch, 290-pound defensive tackle from Excel High School in Monroeville. He held other offers from schools like Jackson State, Jacksonville State, Alabama State and Tuskegee. He also played fullback in high school. He recorded 50 tackles, 21 tackles-for-loss and seven sacks as a senior. He’s rated as the No. 44 overall player in Alabama by On3.

LaDarius James is a 6-foot-4-inch, 225-pound defensive end from Huntsville High School. He’s a three-star rated edge by 247Sports that signed with Troy over offers from schools like Memphis, Alabama State, UAB, North Alabama, Murray State, Alabama A&M and others.

As a junior, James tallied 66 tackles, four tackles-for-loss, three sacks, 16 quarterback hurries, three fumble recoveries and four pass breakups in 10 games.

As a senior, he recorded 40 tackles, 10 tackles-for-loss and five sacks. He also plays basketball at Huntsville.

The 6-foot-5-inch, 330-pound Jatorian Blackmon is one of Troy’s largest signees in this class and hails from Troup County High School in LaGrange, Ga. He’s a three-star rated prospect out of Georgia that played both offensive and defensive line in high school. He is projected as an interior offensive lineman in college. He’s rated as the No. 63 overall interior lineman in the country by ESPN.

He signed with Troy over offers from other schools like Georgia State, Cincinnati, Alabama Sate, Appalachian Sate, Georgia Southern, Vanderbilt, Missouri, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Western Kentucky.

Antonious Steel is a 6-foot-1-inch, 190-pound safety from Bibb County High School in Centreville, Ala. He’s a three-star rated safety from Bibb County that signed with Troy over offers from schools like Tulane, Coastal Carolina and UAB. Steele was ranked as one of the Top 40 overall players in Alabama by both On3 and 247Sports.

He is an AHSAA North-South All-Star that caught 32 passes for 666 yards and 10 touchdowns on offense along with tallying 110 tackles, 10 tackles-for-loss, five interceptions and three forced fumbles on defense. He earned both All-Region and All-Area honors. Also played basketball for Bibb County.

McKenzie High School receiver Jah’Marren Jackson will bring unparalleled size to Troy’s receiver room at 6-foot-5-inches and 195 pounds. He’s a three-star rated receiver that’s ranked as the No. 42 overall player in Alabama and No. 209 wide receiver nationally by On3.

“He’s another guy that came to a camp with his parents and all he did was compete during that camp,” Parker said of Jackson. “He had great measurable, great length and reminded us a lot of what a young Chris Lewis would look like. We has some things to improve on, as all players do, but he has great ball skills, plays the ball above his head really well and he’s already a really solid route runner. The thing that stuck out most, though, is he’s very coachable.

“He wanted to be at Troy, he knows what we’re about and is a guy we believe – as Scott Cross says – is an OKG. We stole that from Cross, he’s ‘Our Kinda Guy’ and we’re really excited about him.”

He signed with Troy over offers from other schools like Southern Miss and UAB.

Jackson plays both safety and receiver at McKenzie and the 6-foot-5-inch athlete will play receiver at Troy. As a senior, Jackson tallied 41 catches for 789 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also recorded 24 tackles and an interception on defense. As a junior he caught 50 passes for 782 yards and eight touchdowns along with 161 yards and two touchdowns rushing.

Jackson is a three-sport athlete at McKenzie, averaging 15 points and 14 rebounds in basketball and qualifying for the state track meet in the long jump.

Makel Green is a 6-foot-2-inch, 255-pound three-star rated edge rusher from Central-Phenix City. He chose to sign with Troy over offers from schools like Bethune-Cookman, Georgia Tech, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, ULM, South Alabama, Texas, Tulane, UAB and Western Kentucky.

While Green missed most of his senior season due to an injury, he will return for Central’s Class 7A State Championship Game this week in Birmingham. As a junior, he recorded 24 tackles, three tackles-for-loss and a sack.

At 6-foot-6-inch, 315-pounds, Gavin Bowlin is Troy’s largest signee in this year’s class. Bowlin helped lead Leeds to an 11-3 record as a senior, leading the way for a rushing offense that averaged 268.5 yards per game and scoring 56 touchdowns. He’s rated as a three-star offensive lineman that signed with Troy over numerous other offers, including from Power 4 programs. He also held offers from Colorado State, Arkansas State, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Liberty, ULM, Louisville, Marshall, Wes Virginia, Pittsburgh and more.

He’s rated as a Top 100 tackle in the country and earned Offensive Line MVP honors at the You Are Athlete Birmingham Football Camp this past summer.

Niceville High School (Fla.) safety Jon Bocchino stands at 6-foot, 190-pounds and is a three-star rated defensive back from Florida that chose to sign with Troy over offers from Air Force, Army, Buffalo, Cornell, Dartmouth, Fordham, Lehigh, Navy, Massachusetts and others.

He and his Niceville teammates will play in the 5A State Semifinals this week. So far this season, he’s tallied 68 tackles, 10 tackles-for-loss and an interception on defense along with 207 yards and 14 touchdowns on offense. As a junior, he recorded 69 tackles, 21 tackles-for-loss, four sacks and six pass breakups. He’s also a track star at Niceville.

Alabama Christian Academy’s AC Walters is a 5-foot-10-inch, 200-pound three-star rated running back from Montgomery that signed with Troy over offers from schools Kentucky, Ole Miss, Southern Miss, Maryland and Appalachian State.

As a senior, Walters rushed for 601 yard and eight touchdowns, while also throwing for 209 yards and three scores and tallying 1,023 yards and 11 touchdowns through the air. He also had 333 kickoff return yards.

Walters is rated as the No. 43 prospect in Alabama and No. 90 rated running back in the country.

Of the 15 players signed on Dec. 4, Parker said that three high school players are expected to be early enrollees along with both JUCO transfers, which means five of these players will be on campus for spring practices.

 

2024 National Signing Day Class

-Jack James, QB, Paducah Tilghman High School (Paducah, Ky.)

-Donnie Smith, LB, East Central Community College (Greenville, Miss.)

-Paul Bowling, OL, McEarchern High School (Marietta, Ga.)

-Dariyonne Bryant, WR, Highland Community College (Portsmouth, Ohio)

-JT Alvis, S, Helena High School (Helena, Ala.)

-Dakarai Shanks, RB, Spain Park High School (Hoover, Ala.)

-Reggis “RJ” Shamberger, DT, Excel High School (Monroeville, Ala.)

-LaDarius James, DE, Huntsville High School (Huntsville, Ala.)

-Jatorian Blackmon, OL, Troup County High School (LaGrange, Ga.)

-Antonious Steele, S, Bibb County High School (Centreville, Ala.)

-Jah’Marren Jackson, WR, McKenzie High School (McKenzie, Ala.)

-Makel Green, LB, Central-Phenix City High School (Phenix City, Ala.)

-Gavin Bowlin, OL, Leeds High School (Leeds, Ala.)

-Jon Bocchino, S, Niceville High School (Niceville, Fla.)

-AC Walters, RB, Alabama Christian Academy (Montgomery, Ala.)