“New year, new team” Troy football in 2023

TROY, Ala. (WTVY) - Spring is still weeks away, but spring practice is kicking off for the Troy Trojans football team.

For Jon Sumrall, what happened in 2022 is a thing of the past, as the second-year head coach looks to take his team even further in the 2023 season, with the hope to rack up even more accolades.

“I’m excited to get back on the grass,” said Sumrall. “You know, it’s the starting point... a journey of a thousand miles starts with a step.”

With a little over a month until T-Day at Veterans Memorial Stadium, new additions and subtractions from the coaching staff and players’ roster highlight the first look at the Trojans football team ahead of this fall.

Those changes create different expectations for the squad, not just for the coaching staff but for Troy fans.

“I thought there were some really good things out here energy wise,” said Sumrall. “We look like a better, more efficient operation as a whole than we did a year ago. This time, we got really good looking athletic bodies...I think we are a longer, more physical looking team.”

“I think it’s like Coach Sumrall and Coach (Joe) Craddock always say,” quarterback Gunnar Watson explained. “Just get 1% greater every day. Getting into the playbook and studying I think will help you, and you’ll know what to do.”

Greg Gasparato, the newly hired defensive coordinator for the Trojans, weighed in on Troy’s early success and the structure Sumrall has built for Troy football.

“The biggest thing that I’ve seen is the people and the culture that Coach Sumrall has created is incredible,” said Gasparato. “It bleeds into the coaching staff and players, and that’s what wins football games.”

Troy will kick off their 2023 campaign on September 2nd against 2022 WAC co-champion Stephen F. Austin at “The Vet.”

Subscribe to our News 4 newsletter and receive the latest local news and weather straight to your email every morning. Get instant notifications on top stories from News 4 by downloading our mobile apps.

Copyright 2023 WTVY. All rights reserved.