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Five Troup High football players took part in National Signing Day on Wednesday, putting pen to paper and signing to continue their athletic careers at the next level. Asher Harrelson, Chase Hilton, Amarius Perdue, Jayland Reed and Tyreon Smith made it official and signed to colleges across the country.

Harrelson will be taking his talents to Samford. 

“It’s a Christian school. I have a lot of friends that go there. I feel like the Lord called me to go play for that school,” Harrelson said. “I was going to go there whether I played football or not.”

Harrelson will be joining the Bulldogs program as a preferred walk-on. It has been a pretty wild ride for Harrelson, who played just one (!) season of football.

“I’ve only played a year of high school football which is crazy,” Harrelson said. “I’m still catching up, working out every day and excited to see what the Lord has in store for me.”

Harrelson played at tight end and defensive line during his lone season on the gridiron for Troup. 

Hilton, like Harrelson, is also Division I bound. The senior signed to continue his football career at Arkansas State which plays at the FCS level.

“They are really building something that I want to be a part of down there,” Hilton said. “It seems like a place I can build a relationship with and they can really build you for your future, especially after football.”

Hilton played on both sides of the ball for Troup at fullback and defensive lineman.

“He’s played the fullback position for us in the past, he’s played defense. They’re going to take him and they’re going to play him at defensive end, and then drop him back into coverage as a linebacker, like a hybrid type,” Troup head coach Tanner Glisson said. “He played a lot of special teams for us, so he’s been around the block.”

The senior had to wait for the right opportunity but jumped when Arkansas State made the offer.

“Especially with the recruiting world right now, it’s a blessing to get an opportunity like this. So I’m more than ready to go down there and start playing,” Hilton said. 

Perdue, an intimidating force on Troup’s defensive line, will be heading west to Dodge City Community College. Perdue passed up on other offers to build himself up at community college before transferring out.

“I will get a chance to play right away and show them what I’m capable of,” Perdue said. “At a four-year school, I might have to sit.”

“It’s the Qua Moss effect because we saw what they did with (Troup alum) Qua Moss. He started at Dodge City and now he’s going to Kansas State,” Tanner Glisson added.

Perdue racked up 32 total tackles and lived in opponents’ backfields as a senior. He also got spot duty as a bruising fullback, scoring a short rushing touchdown during his final season with the Tigers.

The defensive backfield duo of Reed and Smith will not be broken up any time soon. The two starting safeties for Troup in 2024 will be heading just down the road to Point University.

“When I went down there for a visit the coaches made it feel like it was the place for me,” Reed said. “It’s going to be cool to have somebody I know there… we will get to see each other grow and progress through the years.”

“It’s going to be great, we really encourage each other and we will stay on each other’s backs and fight for each other no matter what,” Smith said.

Reed missed a large swath of his senior season due to injuries but is eager to get back onto the field. Despite being limited to just six games this season, Reed finished with 18 tackles, three PBUs and an interception.

His running mate in the backfield also had a big impact on the field this season despite missing a couple of games with an injury. Smith finished with 35 tackles, five PBUs and two interceptions in eight games for the Tigers as a senior.