The Troy Trojans football team returned to the practice field on Tuesday, March 4, for the opening of spring practices. 

Troy coach Gerad Parker, heading into his second spring as head coach, was pleased with what he saw in day one.

“What this looked like a year ago compared to now, there’s reasons to feel good about day one,” Parker said. “Certainly it wasn’t clean in every phase and there is much to fix but far as our process and how we moved and transitioned in practice and what was happening, I’m very pleased with day one.”

Parker said the only focus for everyone from the players to the staff, is simply improving every day in the spring.

“It know it sounds simple but it should be, our improvement to get better at every phase is all we’re talking about,” he said. “How to do that, the pieces we have to hit on in all three phases, is certainly defined, but if our whole motive in our minds is simply to get better daily it’s going to take the pressure off where an individual may feel like they need to be at at a certain time or in the spring. 

“Where am I at on the depth chart? Don’t worry about where you are on the depth chart, don’t worry about next year and don’t worry about our home opener. It’s simple, improve, improve, improve. Team glory will be followed by individual glory if we do that. That’s it.”

There are plenty of familiar faces on the Troy practice field, with a number of returning starters coming back this season, but one that Troy fans will be very thrilled over is the return of quarterback Goose Crowder. After missing much of the 2024 season with a head injury, Crowder was cleared to return to practice and he was once again on the field slinging the ball on Tuesday.

“It was real good,” Parker said of the return of Crowder as a smile creeped across his face. “He has wonderful skills and skillset but he also has wonderful leadership skills. When you match that with being self led much more than we were a year ago, the coaches don’t have to fix things as much. When you become self efficient, and self led, it’s easy to tell. You have to tip your hat to Goose for that but also to Matt Caldwell, where he is compared to where he was a year ago.” 

Crowder said he felt great being back on the field and that his health was great, as well.

“It’s been awesome,” Crowder said. “Being around the guys again and getting back in the facility and around the team has been great. Everything just feels different, there’s a lot of positive energy and it feels good. “I feel great, better every day. I feel better than I deserve, my head feels fine.” 

Crowder said it was difficult having to watch his team from the sidelines last season.

“As a competitor you want to be on the field, especially when you feel like you can,” he said. “I didn’t want to be the guy sitting and sulking, though. I knew once the decision was made that I wanted to be the best teammate I could possibly be. I wanted to be there and support everyone and be a great teammate. That’s what I want to be known as, a great teammate.” 

Crowder said he never doubted that he would get back on the field. 

“I just prayed about it and talked about it with my family,” he said. “Football is something that has always been in my life, I’ve been playing since I was five years old. So, it was never a doubt for me. If I could play, I was going to play. That’s how I’ve always been. When it was time to come back it was time to come back. I was always going to play.”

As Parker spoke to the media, progress could be seen on the construction of the new indoor practice facility over his shoulder. 

“There is a price to progress and that dirt blowing around out here is that price and there won’t be anyone out here griping about that,” Parker emphasized. “These guys are working their tails off to put in our indoor facility and that progress is being seen by all of our recruits and visitors and our current roster and staff. That just helps build morale. 

“They’re building a foundation and so are we over here. I thought it’s pretty prophetic that they’re doing the same things over there that we are over here.”

Troy will return to the practice field on Thursday morning.