Summer Travel: Troy’s Transfer Portal Additions
Signing Day 2022 feels like it was ages ago, and the next stop on the athletic schedule is the beginning of fall football practice. That doesn’t mean the recruiting game stops, for any of Troy’s programs.
Football and Basketball both have added some players to the roster from the portal, whether they be grads, JUCO players or just guys on the move. We’ll introduce you to the new guys coming into both squads.
The difficult part is keeping up with this list. Don’t worry, we’re up for the challenge. We’ll update it as info comes in.
Football
Troy had a quiet Signing Day, but the amount of returning production didn’t really mean there were many positions left empty. That said, the Trojans added some weapons in February.
This summer, though, the portal brought some high-impact players: a Power 5, 4-star quarterback, two SEC athletes, and a plethora of massive linemen from the JUCO ranks.
| Player | Pos. | Team | Reason | Ht. | Wt. | Date |
| Peter Costelli | QB | Utah | Portal | 6’2″ | 223 | May 19 |
| Mark Ferrell | WR | Ventura JC | JUCO | 6’4″ | 200 | June 9 |
| Tyler Harvey-Fallows | OL | Laney College | JUCO | 6’3″ | 300 | June 28 |
| Eric Shaw | ATH | South Carolina | Portal | 6’5″ | 212 | July 6 |
| Quentin Skinner | LS | LSU | Portal | 6’0″ | 241 | June 16 |
| Sydney Solomon | OL | Cerritos College | JUCO | 6’3″ | 320 | June 29 |
| Kobe Williams | OL | NE Oklahoma A&M | JUCO | 6’4″ | 300 | June 25 |
| Jonas Woods | OL | Palomar College | JUCO | 6’4″ | 295 | June 27 |
| Nicholas Woolfolk | K* | Virginia State | Grad | 6’2″ | 180 | May 24 |
Peter Costelli – QB, Utah
The biggest name on this list comes first, simply because his last name comes first alphabetically. The Utah QB was a four-star recruit out of high school, possibly the highest Troy has ever signed, and with four years of eligibility he’s basically starting over.
In fact, his high school didn’t play football in 2020 either. His junior year stats are exceptional though: 136-of-248 passing for 1,992 yards, 23 TDs and five interceptions. He also had 354 yards and four TDs on 55 carries.
Mark Ferrell – WR, Ventura JC
Ferrell adds some much-needed depth to the wide receiving corps, and likely a solid deep-ball threat too, after two years in California. His freshman year, he led the conference with 510 yards on 32 catches, but with only four touchdowns.
Last year, he took more of a supporting role, with fewer than half the catches: 186 yards and two touchdowns.
At 6’4″, he’s one of the three tallest guys in the room, with UAB transfer Ra’Jae Johnson (not listed because he joined on Signing Day) and sophomore Jayden Warren.
Josh Boutwell over at the Messenger has more about Ferrell’s coach, who has an NFL connection.
Tyler Harvey-Fallows – OL, Laney College
A lineman from England? Where have I heard that one before? Realistically, there are plenty of differences between Osi and Tyler. For one, Tyler plays on the offensive side of the ball.
That being said, Harvey-Fellows is an extremely large man, and if his tape is anything to be believed, he will create running lanes by himself if he has to.
Eric Shaw – ATH, South Carolina
Shaw will also add depth to the receiving corps, whether as a TE or WR. He played both at South Carolina, with a stint at linebacker in between. Shaw battled an ACL tear in high school and bone spurs, but he redshirted last year, so he has three years of eligibility left.
Given his height, Shaw may become a major deep-ball threat. Either way, it’s exciting to see an SEC weapon join the roster.
Quentin Skinner – LS, LSU
The great Cameron Kaye is at the pro level, fighting for a roster spot. That leaves a hole on Troy’s roster, and Skinner looks like the guy who’ll take over the job.
Skinner was LSU’s starting long snapper for all of 2020, and the No. 2 prospect the year before that. Hopefully that experience helps elevate an already elite special teams unit.
Sydney Solomon – OL, Cerritos College
The second of four offensive linemen transferring in from a JUCO, Solomon stands out just as much as Harvey-Fallows… with a similar build.
Cerritos didn’t play football in 2020, but Solomon started every game on either side of the break, and even earned first-team all-conference honors last season.
What’s more, he played a year of rugby in high school. He’ll provide another strong run blocker for this massive line.
Kobe Williams – OL, NE Oklahoma A&M
Williams is an Oklahoma native who stayed in his home state to start his career before the Wiregrass came calling. According to the Troy Messenger, he liked what he heard:
“I chose Troy because it reminded me of my high school team,” Williams told The Messenger. “I felt and saw the brotherhood and the chemistry and the bond that both the coaches and players had with each other. I also feel that they could benefit me the most from a school and a football standpoint, and help me become the best version of myself I can, as a young man and as a football player.”
Source: Troy Messenger
Jonas Woods – OL, Palomar College
Woods also comes from the Southern California JUCO circuit. In fact, his team played Solomon’s last season… and won on a last-second field goal.
The Messenger reports he picked up 28 pancake blocks, and he joined Solomon on that first-team all-conference list. (Seriously, go back up to the link.)On top of all that, Woods has three more years of eligibility.
That connection alone will provide this unit with a boost of camaraderie and morale. It also helps us see just how good these two lineman are.
Nicholas Woolfolk – K, Virginia State
Woolfolk is a dual-sport athlete, a kicker and a pitcher. He played both sports for the VSU Trojans, earning Male Student Athlete of the Year, and apparently is planning to play both in the Wiregrass.
In football, he went 7-for-9 last season, and his career long was a 42-yarder in 2019. He averaged 60 yards each kickoff, with four touchbacks. With Brooks Buce back for another season, it’s likely he’ll pick up kickoff duties.
On the diamond, the right-hander went 6-4 with a 3.04 ERA, giving up 63 hits… but striking out 58 batters. With this staff’s expertise in pitching, there’s no doubt he’ll find a role to help Troy succeed.
Basketball
With two high-impact players graduating and two transferring out, Troy’s basketball team had a lot more holes to fill this offseason. The Trojans did sign three incoming freshman (including one in late May), but the portal also provided three experienced players.
| Player | Pos. | Team | Reason | Ht. | Date |
| Darius McNeill | G | UTSA | Portal | 6’3″ | May 24 |
| Aamer Muhammad | G | Lubbock Christian | Portal | 6’1″ | April 15 |
| Nelson Phillips | G | Georgia State | Portal | 6’3″ | May 25 |
Darius McNeill
McNeill is a globetrotter at this point… but he’s going to be a major three-point threat. He started his career at Cal in 2017, where he’s still Nos. 8 and t-10 on the Bears’ all-time list for three-pointers in a season. He also won the team’s “Jason Kidd Assist Award” in 2018.
Then McNeill transferred to SMU. Not a big deal, sitting out his first season before leading the American Conference in three-point shooting percentage in 2020-21.
McNeill transferred to UTSA last season, where he almost dropped 20 on UTEP *twice*, and he scored 14 on that team in Hattiesburg. It was his worst year beyond the arc though, shooting just 19% after 35%+ the three previous seasons.
Given that the Roadrunners only won 10 games last season, I’d assume there were more issues with that team than just stats. I also can’t blame Darius for wanting a real shot at at least a conference ring his last season.
He’ll provide a solid offensive weapon for the Trojans this season.
Aamer Muhammad
Muhammad on the other hand stayed at one school his whole career, specifically D-II’s Lubbock Christian. We have respect for D-II colleges around here, especially when they’ve only lost 17 games in the past three seasons.
Ten of those were in Muhammad’s freshman year.
Last year, the Chaps when 27-4, and Muhammad was a huge part of that. He led the team in steals with 39, and he was second in three-pointers made (48) and defensive and total rebounds (112, 132).
Muhammad will fit right in with Cross’s defensive philosophy, which centers around getting the ball back: rebounds and creating turnovers. He’ll also provide a solid weapon on offense with his three-point ability.
Nelson Phillips
Phillips might just be the most familiar name in this article. He put up seven points and grabbed five boards last year when the Panthers played Troy. Most importantly, he and Kane Williams combined for seven steals–more than half of the team’s 13.
Phillips played mostly off the bench last season, with just 11 starts, and two total in his career up to that point. Regardless, he averages about eight points a game, and if this isn’t the recurring stat I don’t know what is: he recorded 35 steals last season.
As much as Troy rotates its players, Phillips may actually see *more* playing time at Troy than he did at Georgia State. He has the potential to ball out, too, with several double-digit scoring games, so he’s a perfect support role.
It also helps that he’s familiar with Troy’s opponents already.