Troy head coach Jon Sumrall used the transfer portal and one junior college player to add some size to his offense this weekend.
On Sunday, transfer portal offensive linemen Eli Russ of Oklahoma State, Blake Austin and Tavon Matthews of East Tennessee State and Braylun Smith of Birmingham-Southern committed to the Trojans. Troy also got a commitment from Boaz Stanley of Georgia Military College.
Russ, a 6-foot-4, 290-pound reserve lineman for the Cowboys, spent three seasons in the Oklahoma State program. The 6-foot-1, 317-pound Matthews started for four seasons at East Tennessee State. Austin, who is 6-foot-4, 285 pounds, started the past three seasons on the same line as Matthews. Smith, a 6-foot-1, 283-pounder, was honorable mention All-Southern Athletic Association selection this past season at Birmingham-Southern. He played in 21 games over the past two seasons.
The 6-foot-3, 310-pound Stanley was a starter in his one season at Georgia Military College.
In other recent recruiting news:
UAB had two weekend visitors announce on social media that they’ve committed. Former Auburn cornerback AD Diamond and former Ole Miss tight end Trace Campbell, who is expected to play quarterback at UAB, pledged to Trent Dilfer and the Blazers.
Diamond did not see any game action in two seasons at Auburn. The 5-foot-11, 170-pound Diamond was a two-way standout at wide receiver and defensive back while playing at Blount High in Mobile.
The 6-foot-5, 235-pound Campbell was a quarterback for most of high school at DeMatha Catholic in Maryland. He also played quarterback in a year of post-grad football at Fork Union Military Academy. Campbell played tight end last season at Ole Miss.
More commitments from this weekend’s group of visitors should surface over the next couple of days.
Defense lineman Jonathan Allen of Jackson Olin High also posted on social media that he received an offer from UAB. The 6-foot-3, 260-pound Allen got the offer on Sunday.
*Former Hoover High running back Larry McCammon has entered the transfer portal after spending four seasons at FAU. This past season, McCammon was second in Conference USA in rushing with 1,004 yards, and he scored seven touchdowns. The 5-foot-11, 204-pound McCammon, who is also an excellent receiver out of the backfield, was chosen first team on the All-Conference USA team.
Another FAU player in the transfer portal, quarterback T.J. Smith, committed to play at UNA last week. Smith is a 6-foot-2, 200-pound sophomore who played in two games at Upper Iowa Community College in 2021 and did not play in a game during his lone season at FAU.
*Tennessee transfer offensive lineman RJ Perry, a Birmingham native, who played at Fairfield, committed to South Florida. The 6-foot-6, 325-pound Perry, who was a two-time all-state basketball player at Fairfield, will play at USF for former UT offensive coordinator Alex Golesh. Golesh was hired as the Bulls’ head coach on Dec. 4.
*Alabama State transfer wide receiver Jeremiah Hixon visited New Mexico this weekend. The 5-foot-11, 172-pound Spanish Fort High product caught 97 passes for 1,211 yards with 11 touchdowns in four seasons at Alabama State.
*Former Fairfield receiver/defensive back Kobi Albert entered the transfer portal this week. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound Albert, who played cornerback at Kentucky, had three tackles this past season while playing primarily on special teams. He has already listed offers from Ole Miss and Mississippi State on social media.
*Recent transfer portal additions from UAB include quarterback Dylan Mehrotra, wide receiver Ryan Davis and tight end Brody Dalton. Former UAB offensive lineman Therion Cannon announced on social media that he committed to Western Carolina.
*Junior college cornerback Charles Yates Jr. of L.A. Pierce College committed to Arizona. Yates is from Mobile and played at St. Luke’s Episcopal.
*Linebacker Quae Drake, a former all-state player in football and basketball and state champion in high jump and triple jump at Wadley High in Alabama, entered the transfer portal. The 6-foot-1, 237-pound Drake spent the past two seasons at Louisiana-Monroe. He also played at Kennesaw State and Butler Community College in Kansas.
Drake said on social media that his offers include Jacksonville State and Troy.
*Former Madison Academy linebacker Deuce Spurlock announced on Sunday that he is headed to Florida. The 6-foot-1, 231-pound Spurlock played two games as a true freshman at the University of Michigan. He had three tackles in a win over Hawaii and also played against UConn.
*South Alabama added a big offensive lineman through the transfer portal. Jordan Davis, a 6-foot-5, 30-5 pounder, played for South Carolina the past two seasons.
To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email steve.irvine@1819news.com.
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