Troup football has four sign to play at the next level
Published 8:45 am Thursday, February 8, 2024
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Troup football just keeps getting players to the next level and that continued on Wednesday. The Tigers had four players — Logan Sinkfield, Dorian Brooks, Tyler Leslie and Ben Taylor —- sign to play football in college starting in the fall.
“This right here never gets old,” Troup coach Tanner Glisson said as he grabbed the microphone to introduce his players.
Sinkfield transferred in prior to his junior season and despite spending just two years at Troup, he made an indelible impact on the program.
“It has been amazing to come in and make an impact,” Sinkfeild said. “They didn’t know me, I was just another kid coming in. This has been like a family to me.”
It will not be a big change of locale for Sinkfield as he heads to Fort Valley State in the fall. He weighed offers from just about every level of the college game but felt like he was a priority for Fort Valley.
“It was a difficult decision and a lot of sleepless nights and days talking with my family,” Sinkfield said. “It was just a matter of where I felt most comfortable. This is an opportunity that will allow me to get on the field and play right away as a freshman.”
Despite playing cornerback, wide receiver, quarterback and just about any other position he was needed in high school, Sinkfield says that he was recruited by Fort Valley to be a wide receiver, but is open to playing wherever they ask him to.
While the other three players had previously announced their destinations, Sinkfield’s next stop was unknown going into signing day.
Brooks will also be playing Division II football, but he will not be quite as close to home. Brooks will be playing football all the way up north at Nebraska-Kearney.
“It was a big and difficult decision to go all the way from Georgia up there to Nebraska and that is a game changer,” Brooks said. “I just have to do what I have to do and put in the work.”
After missing the playoff run with an injury during his junior season, Brooks came back hungry to make a difference as a senior and did just that.
“It was extremely difficult and I had to have a lot of mental discipline and self-motivation to keep going even though I was in a bad situation with my knee,” Brooks said. “I just stayed on the grind.”
Leslie will also be heading north, though not quite as far, as he will be playing for Kentucky State starting in the fall.
“My mindset is to go up there and finish what I started,” Leslie said. “I’m going to be a dog on the field for them.”
Kentucky State felt like a natural fit for Leslie, who will get to team up with another fellow Troup player in Tray Blackmon (class of ‘23).
“Tray is one of my buddies,” Leslie said. “This is going to be a movie for me for sure because this is something that I have been waiting on. Being with Tray is going to be fun.”
Leslie is a commander on the field and Glisson knows that the team will have a hard time replacing his leadership next season.
“You can replace talent, but you can’t replace leadership,” Glisson said. “There is a lot of time where he and I were thinking the same thing.”
Taylor has played all over the field for Troup during his time as a Tiger. He has played tight end, defensive line, punter, and long snapper as he was willing to do whatever he could to contribute to a winning football team.
“I like tight end the best and I can still long snap, but I don’t think I could be a punter at the next level,” Taylor said with a chuckle. “I can play a little defense too if they need me there.”
Taylor will be heading to Tennessee to play at Cumberland University, a private institution.
“They made me a good offer and I had a lot of fun on my visit,” he said. “It is a great place, full of great people. It felt like it is a good fit for me.”
Troup’s senior class of football players is littered with talent as eight players have already signed to play college football. The Tigers are not done yet with more players set to sign in the coming weeks and months.