Rich Rodriguez used Monday night’s first Coaches Show of the season to lay out a few of the biggest questions around his team, and he didn’t spend much time hiding the important stuff. The quarterback job, he said, is settled internally.
The roster is younger than he wants it to be in some spots, but deeper in others. And a few players, including Jaden Bray, are being handled carefully for health reasons.
Rodriguez said there’s “no need to make it public” at quarterback, but added, “we know who's starting.” He also made it clear the position is not short on options.
“We have two guys in Scotty Fox and Michael Hawkins who could start at this level, and we're hoping we'll have more soon.” He said the offense won’t need to be built around one player’s limitations, noting, “There's times when you've got to run it, to throw it, to manage the game.
We don't need to change our offense based on who's in there, but their strengths are different.”
The offseason roster build was another major theme. Rodriguez said the program had more NIL funding this time around, and that shaped how they attacked roster construction.
“We had a good group of guys [in 2025], but we wanted less seniors and transfers [this year]. We signed 39 high school guys and 20 or so transfers.”
Even with that influx, he said the team is still young because of all the turnover. The upside, in his view, is that many of those players could still be around next year.
“We're going to have a lot of these guys next year, if we can retain them, and that's exciting.”
The offensive line, unsurprisingly, was one of the first areas Rodriguez wanted addressed. “We knew it was the first area we had to address.
We needed grown men who have played a little bit.” He said the group now includes “5 or 6 guys who have played multiple games at the division one level,” with a couple of those players coming from Jacksonville State and already knowing the system.
Rodriguez praised line coach Trickett and said the unit has embraced the work. “They go through some hard stuff in practice, but nobody works as hard as them.”
He added that he believes there are “9 or 10 guys I would be comfortable with playing on Saturday.”
At running back, Rodriguez had plenty to say about transfer Cam Cook. He called Cook “a mature guy who understands football” and said the veteran has brought stability to a room full of younger backs.
Cook, Rodriguez said, is “200 pounds who is physical and can block.” He isn’t a speed merchant, but he’s difficult to bring down cleanly.
“He's not a burner, but he almost always makes the first guy miss. He has a knack for knowing where the first guy is.”
Rodriguez also said he liked Cook enough last season that he knew he would want him if he hit the portal. Because Cook already has plenty of experience, the staff has kept his live work limited.
Freshman Amari Latimer also drew a strong review, even with Rodriguez trying to keep the expectations in check. “He's not a freshman body-wise.
He's 230 pounds.” Rodriguez said he has known Latimer’s family since the player was in high school and called them a “Great family.”
On the field, he sees a complete back in the making. “His skills of blocking, catching the ball, physicality, he's got it all.
He's going to have a great career here. He and Geimere [Latimer] both.”
Rodriguez also mentioned freshmen backs Chris Talley and Lawrence Autry.
Rodriguez said the team’s pace and tempo are familiar territory, and he hinted that last season never really gave that side of the offense a chance to show up. “I don't know if we had a chance to show it last year because we weren't good and didn't get first downs.”
He described how a defense can wear down as the game goes on, and pointed to the weather this weekend as a factor. “It's going to be warm this weekend and on Saturday.”
At receiver, DJ Epps earned a strong endorsement. Rodriguez said the staff wanted an experienced player there and got one in Epps, who “has earned his way up and became the leading receiver for Troy.”
He credited Epps’ hands and work ethic, saying, “He's got great ball skills, he made most the highlight catches in camp.” Rodriguez also noted that Epps is one of the team’s few seniors and that “he practices like he still wants to prove himself.”
As for Jaden Bray, Rodriguez said the staff has been cautious with him lately. “We've held him out a bit recently because we want him to be healthy.”
He also briefly addressed special teams, saying the goal on kickoffs is simple: “We want to kick it out [of the endzone]. That solves a lot of problems. We still have to cover, but that'll take some worry off our minds.”
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