Meet the Trojans: 2025 transfers 

Published 3:47 pm Thursday, June 12, 2025

The Troy Trojans come into the 2025 season with a lot of new faces and among those are 21 new transfers from across the country. 

Among the 21 transfers, eight are players that come to Troy straight from Power 4 programs, while two more also have Power 4 experience. In total, 17 of the transfers are Division I transfers and one is a Division II transfer. Troy is also bringing in three players from the junior college (JUCO) level but a total of seven of the transfers have JUCO experience. 

Among the transfers, Troy added one quarterback, two running backs, four wide receivers, a tight end, four offensive linemen, three defensive lineman, one bandit, three cornerbacks and two safeties. 

Former Houston quarterback Ui Ale has joined the Troy roster.

Quarterback Ui Ale is Troy’s most recent transfer addition after playing the past two seasons at Houston. The 6-foot, 205-pound, Cason, Calif., native is the son of former NFL linebacker Arnold Ale, who played college football at Notre Dame and UCLA. Ale was a star player at Carson High School for his father, who was the head coach. The 6-foot, 205-pound quarterback started his college career in JUCO at Golden West College.   

At Golden West, Ale threw for 1,335 yards and 12 touchdowns in 10 games in 2022. He transferred to Houston in 2023, throwing for 69 yards and a touchdown in three games as a sophomore. He was able to redshirt that season as he played in less than four games. Last season, Ale played in two games for Houston and completed 10-of-13 passes for 112 yards and a touchdown with one interception. 

While Troy already had three quarterbacks on its roster, Ale still fills a position of need after the Trojans lost two quarterbacks to the transfer portal following spring practices. 

Troy also lost almost all of its production at running back from 2024, so the additions of former Georgia Tech running back Trey Cooley and Bethune-Cookman transfer Dennis Palmer will add some much needed experience there. Cooley is a 200-pound running back that was a star player at Knightdale High School in North Carolina before starting his career at Louisville.

In two years at Louisville and two at Georgia Tech, Cooley rushed for a total of 1,009 yards and six touchdowns on 215 carries with 355 yards and four more scores on 33 catches. He brings 34 career games of experience and three career starts with him. He has just one year of eligibility remaining. 

Palmer is a 5-foot-10-inch, 200-pound, Florida native that got his college career started at FCS Bethune-Cookman. As a freshman last season, he rushed for 706 yards and four touchdowns and earned All-Conference honors. In high school, he rushed for more than 5,000 yards and 60 touchdowns at Jensen Beach High School. 

Troy also lost 76 percent of its receiving production from last year’s team and that need was evident with Troy’s transfer portal haul, bringing in former Delaware State receiver Kristian Tate, former Coastal Carolina receiver Tray Taylor, former Georgia receiver RaRa Thomas and Highland Community College receiver Dariyonne Bryant. 

Bryant was in Troy for spring practices and the 6-foot-2-inch, 175-pounder was rated as the top overall JUCO receiver last season by On3 and the No. 9 overall JUCO prospect. He earned both All-Conference and JUCO All-American honors last season after hauling in 43 passes for 871 yards and six touchdowns. He started his college career at Division II Charleston before transferring to Highland. 

Thomas will instantly be considered one of the top receivers in the Sun Belt coming to Troy after playing his entire college career in the SEC, with Mississippi State and Georgia. The Eufaula native caught 85 passes for 1,261 yards and 13 touchdowns over three seasons at Mississippi State and Georgia. Before starting his college career, Thomas was an All-State receiver and one of the top high school prospects in Alabama.

Former Coastal Carolina receiver Tray Taylor transferred to Troy.

Tate stands at 6-foot-2-inches and weighs 175 pounds and played two years at FCS Delaware State before transferring to Troy. Last season, he amassed 28 catches for 399 yards and three touchdowns. Taylor brings both FCS and JUCO experience to Troy after starting his career at Tyler Junior College before transferring to Coastal Carolina. 

Taylor was a JUCO All-American at Tyler Junior College, catching 39 passes for 850 yards and nine touchdowns in 2023. He also earned All-Conference honors as a freshman the year prior. Last season, Taylor caught 18 passes for 262 yards and a touchdown at Coastal Carolina. He’ll come to Troy with one year of eligibility left. 

Troy also lost experience at tight end when Brody Dalton transferred to Alabama. The Trojans reached to the FCS level to bring in experience there with former Grambling State tight end Marquis Harris transferring to Troy. At 6-foot-5-inches and 249 pounds, Harris brings plenty of size to the tight end position. He started out in college at receiver at Arkansas State before transferring to Grambling and making the switch to tight end. Last season, Harris caught seven passes for 183 yards and a touchdown. 

Troy also landed a big – literally and figuratively – haul on the offensive line with former Mississippi State lineman Malik Ellis, former Tennessee lineman Vysen Lang, former Georgia Tech lineman Patrick Screws and former Appalachian State lineman Garner Langlo. Langlo, Screws and Lang all participated in spring practices at Troy. 

Ellis stands at 6-foot-5-inches and weighs in at 285 pounds. Ellis played offensive tackle at Laurel High School in Mississippi but made the move to tight end at Mississippi State. He started four games as a freshman in 2023 but moved to offensive guard heading into 2024. He played in just one game as a sophomore and redshirted, leaving him with three years of eligibility remaining. 

Former Georgia Tech tackle Patrick Screws Jr. is a Eufaula native.

Langlo not only brings the most size among the transfer linemen, he also brings the most experience, as well. The 6-foot-7-inch, 300-pound Hartford native started his college career at Auburn. After redshirting as a freshman, and then not playing as a redshirt freshman, Langlo transferred to Appalachian State. He didn’t see any game action in 2023 but became a starter this past season. 

Langlo played in 10 games and started six at offensive guard for Appalachian State. He played right guard, left guard and right tackle at different points in the season and gave up just one sack in 273 passing situations. 

Lang is a Montgomery native who played high school football at Pike Road. He started his college career at Tennessee, playing offensive guard and center. During the spring at Troy, Lang concentrated on center. The 6-foot-5-inch, 310-pound Screws is a Eufaula native that played center and guard at Georgia Tech. He was a two-time All-State lineman at Eufaula and set the school’s record for knockdowns in a game and amassed 100 pancake blocks as a senior. 

Another position of need for Troy was on the defensive line after the loss of Phillip Lee, who transferred to Arkansas. Troy added former South Carolina defensive end Elijah Davis, former Houston defensive end Taleeq Robbins and Coffeyville Community College transfer Deairich Jackson. 

Davis was in Troy for spring practices and the 6-foot-3-inch, 285-pound South Carolina native also brings JUCO experience. He earned All-Region and All-Conference honors at East Mississippi Community College and was ranked as the top JUCO defensive lineman in the country by 247Sports

Robbins is 6-foot-1-inch and 282 pounds and brings both JUCO and Power 4 experience with him. He started his college career in the SEC with Ole Miss but after redshirting as a freshman, he transferred to Northeast Mississippi Community College. After seven games at NMCC, he transferred to Houston. 

Robbins made four starts as a sophomore at Houston, starting at both defensive end and tackle. He tallied 10 tackles and one tackle-for-loss. Robbins did not play last season and will have one year of eligibility remaining. 

Jackson started his college career at Division II Carson-Newman, playing in eight games. The 6-foot-4-inch, 255-pound Fayetteville, Ga., native transferred to Coffeyville Community College and became a force on the defensive line. He tallied 42 tackles, 13.5 tackles-for-loss, 6.5 sacks and two blocked kicks along with earning All-Conference honors. He has two years of eligibility remaining.

Donnie Smith was the top rated JUCO linebacker in 2024.

Donnie Smith is the lone transfer Troy brought into its deep bandit rotation. The 6-foot-4-inch, 225-pound pass rusher is a Greenville, Miss., native that was one of the top rated JUCO players in all of college football last season. On3 ranked him as the No. 1 JUCO linebacker and No. 17 overall JUCO player in the country. 

As a sophomore, Smith earned All-Conference honors with 95 tackles, 21 tackles-for-loss, nine sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. He comes to Troy with two years of eligibility remaining in a loaded bandit group that also features returners Eric Shaw, Malaki Pegeus and Jah-Mal Williams. 

After Troy lost nearly all experience in the secondary from last year’s team, the Trojans loaded up on defensive backs from the transfer portal, including three cornerbacks and two safeties. Toledo transfer cornerback Amare Garrett is Troy’s newest addition. Garrett played at Lakewood High School in Florida before starting his college career at Toledo. He redshirted last season and will have four years of eligibility remaining at Troy.

Missouri State transfer cornerback Kaleno Levine and Washburn transfer cornerback Jaquez White could end up both being starters for the Trojans in 2025, after impressing during the spring. Levine is 5-foot-11-inches and 180 pounds and started his college career at the JUCO level with Tyler Junior College. He played in four games and made five tackles in 2022 before transferring to FCS Missouri State. 

At Missouri State, Levine played in four games in 2023 and was on the Academic Honor Roll but became a star in 2024. He was named to the Conference All-Newcomer Team and made 10 starts. He tallied 50 tackles and six pass breakups in 2024. He comes to Troy with one year of eligibility remaining.
White is a 6-foot-1-inch, 180-pound cornerback that earned All-Region honors at receiver in high school along with being an All-State cornerback. He started his college career at Division II Washburn. He started 11 games as a freshman and 10 more as a sophomore. He tallied 76 tackles, one interception, 11 pass breakups and two blocked kicks in two years at Washburn. He comes to Troy with two years of eligibility remaining. 

Troy also added a pair of SEC safeties in former Vanderbilt safety Steven Sannieniola and former Georgia safety David Daniel-Sisavanh. Daniel-Sisavanh took part in spring practices in Troy and the 6-foot-2-inch, 185-pound Woodstock, Ga., native was a star player at Woodstock High School, rated as a four-star prospect coming out of high school. He was also rated as the No. 3 athlete in the nation and No. 10 overall prospect in Georgia.

He started his career at Georgia and played in nine games as a true freshman safety with six total tackles. In 2022, Daniel-Sisavanh played in all 14 games with 14 tackles, two tackles-for-loss and one pass breakup. He also played in 10 games in 2023 and registered 10 tackles and one pass breakup. For his career at Georgia, he earned 30 tackles, two tackles-for-loss and two pass breakups. He’ll have one year of eligibility remaining. 

Sannieniola is a 6-foot-2-inch, 205-pound safety that started his college career at Vanderbilt. Sannieniola is a Bowie, Md., native that was a three-star prospect coming out of Quince Orchard High School. He played both safety and running back in high school, totaling 320 yards and seven touchdowns with four receiving touchdowns on offense as a senior to go along with 41 tackles, three interceptions, one touchdown, six pass breakups, a forced fumble and three blocked punts on defense.  

He tallied 10 tackles and one tackle-for-loss in two seasons at Vanderbilt. He will come to Troy with two years of eligibility left.