The Troy Trojans have announced their Fall Camp schedule as they prepare for the 2018 season.

The Trojans are fresh off their second straight double-digit win season and they look to build on that this year. They begin that journey on Aug. 3 with their first of 11 practices.

“It’s a great time to be a Trojan,” head coach Neal Brown told the assembled media in New Orleans. “We are 21-5 in our last two years – the eighth most wins in college football. Our staff and players are extremely excited about this fall … New year, new challenges.”

The Trojans will welcome 12 seniors back to camp on Friday and although they do have young players, Brown believes he is bringing back players with a wealth of experience.

“We are young in age, but we have a bunch of players on both sides of the ball that have a lot of experience,” Brown said. “We return all of our specialists.”

Troy also returns four of their five offensive linemen, led by center Deontae Crumitie.

In all, the Trojans returns nine starters on offense and five starters on defense.

“I think one of the exciting things about being a coach is that you never know the ebbs and flows are going to be. I’m fired up to see who has gotten better. I’m fired up to see who is going to make that big jump. Somebody in our program is going to make a tremendous jump over the next two weeks.”

There will be a lot of storylines during Troy’s camp, many of which will be on the offensive side of the ball. Brandon Silvers is no longer with the program and coach Brown is tasked with finding his replacement. The likely candidates are Kaleb Barker and Sawyer Smith. Barker saw action in all 13 games last season as both the backup quarterback and holder. He completed 8 of his 13 passes for 143 yards and a touchdown. Smith is coming off a redshirt season.

“It’s going to come down to those two guys,” Brown said. “We have a lot of faith in both Kaleb and Sawyer. Somebody is going to go out there and win that job. I fully expect that to happen.”
There will also be a new-look backfield when the Trojans hit the field on Friday. Jordan Chunn and Josh Anderson have departed, leaving BJ Smith, Jamarius Henderson and Jabir Daughtry-Frye to fill the void.

“We are going to be more by committee,” Brown said. “Coming out for the spring, BJ was the starter at that position. I’m intrigued to see how it’s going to play out. Jamarius Henderson is probably our most talented guy. He has to prove that he can stay healthy. He is probably going to be as critical to our success as anybody.”

Along with their 11 scheduled practices, Troy will also hold two scrimmages during camp. The first will be held Aug. 11 at 10:30 a.m. They will also have a Student Appreciation scrimmage Aug. 17 at 5 p.m.

Troy’s first game will be Sept.1 against Boise State at Veterans Memorial Stadium.