HUGE RECRUITING GET: The first commit of the #ChipShip era is already our highest rated recruit this year, including all the ballers Neal Brown signed during the early signing period. Check out Reddy Steward:

1st Team All-State • Alabama 7A • Cornerback

https://247sports.com/Player/Reddy-Steward-46041196/

Coaching Staff Defense: Brandon Hall has been named defensive coordinator. He spent a year under Vic Koenning as a linebackers coach. Previously, he was Jacksonville State's DC, and all four years he was there, had a Top 20 ranked defense. This is a solid hire. He has hired, Andrew Warrick, likely to be a linebackers coach. He was Jacksonville State's DC this year, and had a Top 15 defense. Bam Hardman (D-Line coach last season at Troy) will stay on, and Troy has hired Davern Williams (Last Chance U). He is a Troy alum. Hardman and Williams will coach somewhere in the front seven.

Coaching Staff Offense: BYU's offensive line coach, Ryan Pugh, will be Troy's offensive line coach and offensive coordinator (Chip will call plays). He doesn't have coordinator experience, so I expect this will be a position of tutelage, where Chip has complete control over the offense. Cole Weeks has been added to the offensive staff and will likely be the quarterbacks coach. He has been a grad assistant under Chip for three years at both Southern Miss and Auburn where he worked with quarterbacks. Of note, Chip was a quarterbacks coach before he was an offensive coordinator. John Carr, one of ULM's receiver coaches, will coach receivers at Troy alongside current receivers coach, Cornelius Williams. He will also be Troy's passing game coordinator.

Troy has retained four on field coaches from the Neal Brown era, as well as what may be the biggest piece, Director of Player Personnel, Jamaal “Smooth” Smith. He was also with Troy during the Blakeney era. Great piece of the Trojan puzzle. The staff so far is a mix old and new, and many of the guys on staff already had ties to Troy. Obviously, this is good, and much better than bringing in an entirely new staff with no Trojan blood. I'm optimistic.