Troy has hired Justin Manning as defensive line coach, leaving just two on-field openings on Gerad Parker’s 2024 coaching staff.

Manning spent the last two seasons as defensive coordinator on the Division III level at Tufts. He was on the Duke staff in various positions from 2017-19 and in 2021, and was defensive line coach at Eastern Illinois in 2020.

A graduate of North Carolina Central, Manning has also spent time as an intern with the NFL’s San Diego Chargers and worked in various on- and-off-field positions at Boston College.

In addition to Manning, Troy has also elevated Trey Page to defensive analyst. Page spent the last two seasons as a graduate assistant with the Trojans.

On Sunday, Troy hired Darl Bauer as director of strength performance and John Heck as assistant director of strength performance. Bauer spent five seasons at Houston and 10 at West Virginia, while Heck worked with the NFL’s Houston Texans in 2023 after five seasons at North Carolina.

The hiring of Manning means only the offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator positions are left to officially be filled on Parker’s staff. It has been widely reported that Green Bay Packers analyst and former Western Michigan head coach Tim Lester will join the Troy staff as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the end of the NFL season.

Longtime West Virginia assistant Dontae Wright is reportedly in line to become defensive coordinator and safeties coach, but no formal announcement has yet been made. However, Wright lists “Troy University Defensive Coordinator/Safeties Coach” in his bio on Twitter/X.

It’s not entirely clear who will handle special teams coaching on the Troy staff, as Lester and Wright would account for the maximum of 10 on-field assistants. In the past, the Trojans have used graduate assistants and other staffers to run special teams (former Troy coach Jon Sumrall also had a special teams background and was heavily involved in that phase of the game).

Troy’s full 2024 football on-field coaching staff

HC: Gerad Parker

QB/OC: Tim Lester (reported)

RB: Re’Quan Boyette

WR: Gary Banks

OL: Caleb Carbine

TE/OT: Kevin Reihner

DL: Justin Manning

ILB/co-DC: Nathan Burton

OLB: Chris Boone

CB: Travis Pearson

SAF/DC: Dontae Wright (reported)

ST: ???