The Troy Trojans are heading into the heart of summer workouts and, as a result, most of the new faces on the upcoming 2025 football roster are in town and have officially joined the roster. Among these new faces are 15 incoming freshmen. 

Troy’s 2025 freshman class features one quarterback, a kicker, two running backs, three safeties, one cornerback, a wide receiver, four offensive linemen, a defensive tackle and a bandit/edge. When looking at the newcomers, it’s clear Troy is looking to develop some youngsters along the offensive line and they have some big bodies to do that with Sharvon Pierre, Jatorian Blackmon, Gavin Bowlin and Paul Bowling. 

All four of the freshmen linemen stand at 6-foot-3-inches or more and all but one tips the scales at over 300 pounds. Blackmon is 6-foot-5-inches and 330 pounds from LaGrange, Ga., and was rated as a three-star prospect at Troup County High School. He earned All-State honors as a junior playing center in high school. 

At 6-foot-3-inches and 250 pounds, Pierre is the smallest of these freshmen linemen but the Waycross, Ga., native earned All-State and All-Region honors for Ware County High School, playing offensive tackle. Bowlin stands at a towering 6-foot-6-inches and weighs in at 315 pounds. The Leeds native helped guide Leeds High School to the Class 5A Semifinals this past fall. He was rated as a three-star offensive tackle in high school and a Top 50 prospect overall in Alabama by both On3 and 247Sports. 

Bowling stands at 6-foot-4-inches and 300 pounds and was also rated as a three-star prospect in high school. The Marietta, Ga., native led McEachern High School, earning All-State honors as a tackle. 

Troy only signed one quarterback in this class but it was a big one with Jack James from Paducah Tilghman High School in Kentucky. James comes to Troy with some serious Trojan roots as his high school offensive coordinator was Corey Robinson, one of the most decorated quarterbacks in Troy history. Robinson is also from Paducah, Ky. 

James was a three-star rated quarterback in high school and led his school to a State Championship this past season. He was named the Kentucky Football Coaches Association Player of the Year as a senior and ended his career holding the state record for career passing yardage, career passing touchdowns, career attempts and career completions. He threw for more than 13,500 yards and 180 touchdowns in high school. He also won a state wrestling championship in the 215-pound division as a junior. He joined the team back in January and took part in spring practices. 

Troy’s freshman class also features a legacy in Kansas City, Mo., kicker Jaden Tynes. Tynes is the son of Troy Hall of Fame kicker Lawrence Tynes. Tynes only played one year of football, as a senior. An injury sidelined him for much of his senior campaign but Tynes showed off his powerful leg in the games he played in and was perfect in PATs. 

Troy added running backs Dakari Shanks and AC Walters to a group that lost nearly all of its production and experience at that position from the 2024 team. Walters is a Montgomery native that played high school football at American Christian Academy, where he rushed for 601 yards and eight touchdowns as a senior. He was a doing-everything back for ACA, also amassing 1,023 yards and 11 touchdowns receiving along with throwing for 209 yards and three touchdowns. 

Shanks is a 5-foot-10-inch, 205-pound back from Hoover that rushed for 1,248 yards and 11 touchdowns as a senior at Spain Park this past season. 

The only players along the defensive line Troy added in the freshman class are Phenix City’s Makel Green and Monroeville’s RJ Shamberger. The 6-foot-2-inch, 255-pound edge rusher will play bandit at Troy. Green missed much of his senior season due to injury but came back to play in the Class 7A State Championship Game. As a junior, he recorded 24 tackles, three tackles-for-loss and a sack. He was rated as a three-star prospect as an edge. 

Shamberger was a three-star rated defensive tackle from Excel High School. He was ranked as the No. 44 overall prospect in Alabama by On3. The 6-foot-4-inch, 290-pounder recorded 50 tackles, 21 tackles-for-loss and seven sacks as a senior.

Defensive back was a big position of need coming out of 2024 with very few returning veterans in the back end of the Troy defense. As a result, the Trojans added three freshmen safeties, which includes JT Alvis, Jon Bocchino and Antonious Steele. 

Bocchino is a 6-foot, 190-pounder from Niceville, Fla., who amassed more than 70 tackles, 10 tackles-for-loss and an interception as a senior. He also scored 14 touchdowns on offense. Alvis is 6-foot-1-inch and 200 pounds and helped Helena High School make back-to-back state championship appearances. He tallied 59 tackles, four interceptions and 10 pass breakups as a junior and senior. He was also a three-star rated prospect that chose Troy over offers from a number of Power 4 schools. 

Steele is a Centreville native who was an AHSAA All-Star for Bibb County High School. The 6-foot-1-inch, 190-pounder was a two-way star for Bibb County. He amassed 666 yards and 10 touchdowns receiving on offense, while racking up 110 tackles, 10 tackles-for-loss, five interceptions and three forced fumbles on defense. He earned both All-State and All-Region honors as a senior and was rated as a three-star prospect. 

Capping off the freshman newcomers in the secondary is Pinson Valley cornerback Jalen Peterson. The 6-foot, 175-pound corner spent a year after high school in prep-school at Birmingham College. 

The lone freshman receiver joining the Troy roster is 6-foot-5-inch,195-pound McKenzie star Jah’Marren Jackson. The three-star prospect was rated as the No. 42 overall prospect in Alabama by On3. As a senior, he tallied 41 catches for 789 yards and 10 touchdowns. Jackson was a three-sport athlete, also lettering in basketball and track for McKenzie.