HEAD COACH: Sean Pender, second season ♦ CAREER RECORD: 131-99-1, 21 seasons ♦ 2022 SEASON: 3-7 ♦ REGION: 8-4A
GAINESVILLE, Ga. – The Trojans are light years ahead of where they were last season.
It'll be Year 2 under Sean Pender and the growing pains from last year's switch from the wing-T to the spread offense.
Those growing pains showed up in the win/loss column as the Trojans finished 3-7 in 2022, averaged just 22 points per game, and failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
Pender says his team is in a much better place offensively as they head into the 2023 season.
"We are light years ahead of where we were last year understanding the offense," he said. "We'll be able to operate at a fast tempo than we did last year. We've got to stay healthy to throw the ball the way we want to throw it."
Quarterback Tanner Marsh (66-of-112 for 814 yards passing, 7 touchdowns, 198 yards rushing, 6 TDs) will be back in the driver's seat in 2023. After missing five games with an injury last season, the 6-foot-3 signal-caller is set to have a record-breaking season for the Trojans.
"He's doing really well," Pender said. "He's playing lights-out football," he said. "Every time he's been out, he's played at a very, very high level."
The Trojans will move forward without Ajay Jones and Hunter Riley, who didn't now return for their senior seasons.
It leaves a hole at the slot receiver, but Pender has been able to build some depth. Sophomores Ty Kemp, Jacob Adams and Parker Carlton will share time at the slot.
In the backfield, starting tailback and leading rusher Tate Ruth 141-794 yards rushing, 6 TDs) suffered a broken hand earlier this summer and has been limited, although he returned to the team in early August.
The injury has allowed Pender and his staff to build depth at slot and running back and at slot back.
"With Tate out, Parker Carlton has been playing a lot of tailback," Pender said. "Dalton Hulsey has also been getting some running back snaps as well."
Senior Ryals Puryear will lead the receiving corp. Senior and first-year player senior Korben Sosebee and sophomore Walker Davis will also see time at receiver, and senior Breckan Kirby will play tight end.
Pender is also pleased with the offensive line play. He said they are young, but with several key injuries upfront, they played big-time minutes in 2022.
"We're young, but there is some talent in that group," he said. "They're getting after and will be feisty. It's a learning process, but we like that group. It's a good group."
Junior Charlie House returns as the leader up front. He'll play guard. Junior Nick Sanders is back at guard, sophomores Eli Ham is at center, and Kade Hawthorne and Mason McGill will play tackle.
Defensively, the Trojans have shifted to a four-man front this season.
"We just don't have the linebacker depth we had last year," Pender said. "We figured we would be better in a 4-3 than a 3-4 just because of the body types that we have."
The Trojans return their two leading tacklers in seniors Zeke Harris (120 tackles, 6 tackles for a loss) and Trey Patterson (106 tkls, 9 TFL) at linebacker, making the position the strongest on defense. Dalton Hulsey also will see time at linebacker.
Conner Free, who rehabbed an injury during the first half of summer workouts, is working his way back into contact drills. He recorded 96 tackles, third best, and is back at free safety. Davis and Jake Clark will compete for the other safety spot.
Senior Mason Kerick and junior Charlie Dyer will play cornerback.
The defensive line has some bigger question marks. Senior Landon Potter (45 tkls) is the only returner at tackle. Sophomore Matthew Areco (25 tkls) will step in at tackle and could play some linebacker, and senior newcomers Zeke Ortiz and Charlie Wright are penciled in at defensive end.
"We've grown quite a bit over the summer," Pender said. "We have added depth to our defensive line, but we still have a lot of questions to be answered."
GRADUATION STINGS
The Trojans lost several playmakers from last year, including RB/WR Ajay Jones (did not return) RB Hunter Riley (did not return), OL Wyatt Gowan, OL Hayden Chase, WR Sam Gailey, LB Austin Self and S Will Jackson.
A MORE EXPLOSIVE OFFENSE
The Trojans are in Year 2 of the Pender spread offense and have a better understanding of the new firepower. With returning starters quarterback Tanner Marsh, leading rusher Tate Ruth, top target Ryals Puryear, and an experienced O-Line, the Trojans are way ahead of last year's schedule.
"We can't run straight at you, but we're still going to run the spread and be a zone team. We're going to do a lot of RPOs. I think our QB has gotten good enough to read and exploit defenses. We're going to be hard to stop."
THE DEFENSE IS COMING AROUND
Pender has changed his defense from a 3-3-5 stack to a four-man front this season. The Trojans will try to employ a two-platoon system to help build depth and keep their players fresh. However, the development of the defensive line will be key to developing a pass rush and stopping the run.
"Some of them are learning new defensive adjustments. We've been tweaking some things and doing some stuff differently to help our personnel on the defensive line. We want to be extremely aggressive, stop the run and not give up the big play."
THE STRENGTHS ARE OBVIOUS
Quarterback/LB/Safety/Chemistry – The Trojans have a workhorse in Tanner Marsh returning at quarterback, which will help the growth of the offense. On defense, leading tacklers Zeke Harris, Trey Patterson and Conner Free will help an inexperienced unit improve faster. Pender also says his team is a tight-knit group.
BUT THERE ARE SOME QUESTIONS
Pender said improving on special teams and tackling are important as they head toward Game 1.
"We want to be better on special teams," he said. "We are really putting an emphasis on it. Defensively, we have to improve our tackling, which has been a major focus during fall practice."
SNIFFING THE PLAYOFFS
The Trojans started the 2022 campaign 0-2, losing to archrival White County and Dawson County. But the Trojans only get those two non-region games to tune up for an eight-game Region 8-4A schedule. The Trojans were close to making a run at the playoffs last season but lost three of the last four games by an average of 10 points to miss the postseason. While the Trojans need to win early, the final four games against Madison, Chestatee, Cedar Shoals and East Forsyth will prove if the Trojans are worthy of a playoff spot.
"I know White is not a region opponent, but having a good showing in Game 1 is key for us – to make sure we are ready," he said. "Of course, they are one of our biggest rivals, so you want to get the win. We also want to win Hall County, which we did last year. Unfortunately, we lost to everybody else in the region. Hopefully, we'll improve on that this year."
WHAT'S TRENDING
The Trojans have the tools to have an explosive offense, but bigger questions remain on the defensive side of the ball. They've shifted to a four-man front due to a lack of depth at linebacker, but also have the top-two tacklers returning at the position. Despite the inexperience on the defense, the Trojans are in a much better place than they were this time last season. If the defense jells together, they'll be in the hunt for a playoff spot.
