2023 Troy
11–3 (7–1 Sun Belt Conference), coached by Jon Sumrall, then Greg Gasparato (interim, bowl game). Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Arkansas State 37–3Oct 7
By 34 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingBeat Louisiana 31–24Nov 18
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2 | vs Stephen F. Austin | W 48–30 | 87% |
| Sep 9 | at 15Kansas State | L 13–42 | 39% |
| Sep 16 | vs James Madison | L 14–16 | 59% |
| Sep 23 | vs Western Kentucky | W 27–24 | 60% |
| Sep 30 | at Georgia State | W 28–7 | 42% |
| Oct 7 | vs Arkansas State | W 37–3 | 82% |
| Oct 14 | at Army | W 19–0 | 61% |
| Oct 28 | at Texas State | W 31–13 | 63% |
| Nov 2 | vs South Alabama | W 28–10 | 74% |
| Nov 11 | at UL Monroe | W 45–14 | 87% |
| Nov 18 | vs Louisiana | W 31–24 | 80% |
| Nov 25 | at Southern Miss | W 35–17 | 83% |
| Dec 2 | vs App StateSun Belt Championship | W 49–23 | 71% |
| Dec 23Bowls & playoff | vs DukeBirmingham Bowl | L 10–17 | 71% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Lost to Duke 17–10 in the Birmingham Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; Sun Belt Conference champions.
In program history: The best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 35 on file).
Sun Belt Conference champions7–1 in the conference
Led the nationChris Lewis: yards per catch (23.0)
- Record
- 11–3
- Conference
- 7–1 shared first in Sun Belt Conference
- AP final
- Unranked
- Points
- 415–240
- Coach
- Jon Sumrall, then Greg Gasparato (interim, bowl game)
- Elo
- 1697 +94 this season
- SP+ rating
- 9.8 No. 26 of 133; offense No. 41, defense No. 27, special teams No. 89
- SRS
- 8.6 No. 26 of 133 in FBS
- Returning
- 56% of last season’s EPA, No. 60 of 131
- Recruiting class
- No. 94 roster talent No. 101 in FBS
- Offensive coordinator
- Joe Craddock
- Defensive coordinator
- Greg Gasparato
- Offense
- Spread
- Defense
- Multiple 4–2–5
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.14 | 40% | 1.38 | 49th of 133 |
| Defense | -0.04 | 38% | 1.19 | 8th of 133 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.13 off -0.02 def | 40% off 39% def | — | 56th off 9th def |
How these are measured
Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played.
Drives and havoc
| Points per trip inside the 40 | Average start | Havoc | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 3.8 | own 31 | 17% allowed |
| Defense | 3.0 | own 30 | 19% caused |
CORE rating 11.3, 26th of 133 (offense -1.4, defense -12.7).
A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.
Leaders
| Passing yards | Gunnar Watson QB | 3,557 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Gunnar Watson QB | 27 TD |
| Rushing yards | Kimani Vidal RB | 1,662 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Kimani Vidal RB | 14 TD |
| Receiving yards | Jabre Barber WR | 994 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Chris Lewis WR | 10 TD |
| Tackles | Jayden McDonald LB | 75 tkl |
| Sacks | Javon Solomon LB | 15.5 sacks |
| Interceptions | Reddy Steward CB | 4 INT |
Top recruits in the 2023 class
| Jack Tchienchou CB | ★★★ | No. 972 |
| Chris Rodgers LB | ★★★ | No. 1271 |
| L.J. Green CB | ★★★ | No. 1347 |
| Jackson Thomas WR | ★★★ | No. 1403 |
| Malaki Pegues DL | ★★★ | No. 1403 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2023 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | 1 | 3.0 | 0.826 |
| Receivers | 2 | 3.0 | 0.839 |
| Offensive line | 1 | 3.0 | 0.843 |
| Defensive line | 1 | 3.0 | 0.850 |
| Linebackers | 2 | 3.0 | 0.836 |
| Defensive backs | 2 | 3.0 | 0.859 |
| Whole class | 9 | 3.0 | 0.843 |
High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.
Drafted in 2024
The 2024 draft| Rd 5 | Javon Solomon DE | Buffalo Bills |
| Rd 6 | Kimani Vidal RB | Los Angeles Chargers |
Roster 119
The 2023 roster119 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2023 line; 60 have a stat line. See the roster
Transfers in 8
The 2023 portal Asa Martin RB | ★★★ | from  Memphis |
 Chris Lewis WR | ★★★★ | from  Kentucky |
 Colby Smith OT | ★★★ | from  Auburn |
 Eli Russ OT | ★★★ | from  Oklahoma State |
| Jarret Doege QB | ★★★ | from  Western Kentucky |
 Reggie Bracy CB | ★★★ | from  Iowa |
 Will Crowder QB | ★★★ | from  West Virginia |
 Landon Parker WR | ★★ | from  Wofford |
Transfers out 9
 Tez Johnson WR | ★★★ | to  Oregon |
| Peter Costelli QB | ★★★★ | no new school on file |
| Anthony Lewis Jr. WR | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Charles Strong Jr. RB | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Jamontez Woods RB | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Kyle Cass CB | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Matthew Johnson OL | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Elijah Culp CB | ★★ | no new school on file |
| Nasir Pogue CB | ★★ | no new school on file |
2023 Sun Belt Conference standings
Conference page| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Madison | 7–1 | 11–2 | |
| Troy | 7–1 | 11–3 | |
| App State | 6–2 | 9–5 | |
 Coastal Carolina | 5–3 | 8–5 | |
 Old Dominion | 5–3 | 6–7 | |
| Texas State | 4–4 | 8–5 | |
| South Alabama | 4–4 | 7–6 | |
| Arkansas State | 4–4 | 6–7 | |
| Georgia State | 3–5 | 7–6 | |
 Georgia Southern | 3–5 | 6–7 | |
 Marshall | 3–5 | 6–7 | |
| Louisiana | 3–5 | 6–7 | |
| Southern Miss | 2–6 | 3–9 | |
| UL Monroe | 0–8 | 2–10 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.