On Friday, the Troy Trojans earned a big – literally – commitment from the transfer portal when former Mississippi State offensive lineman Malik Ellis announced he would be transferring to Troy.

Ellis is a 6-foot-5-inch, 285-pound offensive tackle from Laurel, Miss. Ellis was a three-star rated prospect out of Laurel High School and the No. 14-ranked prospect in Mississippi during his senior season. He earned All-County honors as a senior. 

Ellis signed with Mississippi State out of high school and moved from tackle to tight end. He played in 11 games as a true freshman in 2023 and started four games, including one against Alabama. In 2024, Ellis moved to offensive guard and played in just one game before redshirting for the remainder of the season. Ellis will come to Troy with three years of eligibility remaining. Ellis, who entered the transfer portal on April 21, also had an offer from Marshall. 

The Trojans have been hit hard by the transfer portal since the end of spring, losing starting cornerback LJ Green to Tulane, offensive guard Carlos Slayden to Southern Miss, tight end Brody Dalton to Alabama, running back Damien Taylor to Ole Miss and bandit Phillip Lee to Arkansas. Quarterback Matthew Caldwell has also entered the transfer portal.

Ellis joins a post-spring transfer haul for the Trojans that so far includes former Georgia Tech running back Trey Cooley and former Georgia and Mississippi State receiver RaRa Thomas. Troy also earned transfer signings prior to the spring from former South Carolina defensive end Elijah Davis, former Tennessee offensive lineman Vysen Lang, former Georgia Tech offensive lineman Patrick Screws Jr., former Georgia safety David Daniel-Sisavanh and former Vanderbilt safety Steven Sannieniola. 

On Thursday, Troy also earned a commitment for the 2026 signing class in Mobile defensive lineman Jaxon Williams. Williams is a 6-foot-2-inch, 250-pound defensive lineman from Faith Academy. As a sophomore, Williams tallied 70 tackles, 13 tackles-for-loss and three sacks.