Troy linebacker Jayden McDonald has entered the NCAA transfer portal, he announced Sunday.

McDonald leads the Trojans with 75 tackles this season, along with 9.5 tackles for loss, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery from his Mike (middle) linebacker position. A graduate transfer, he has one season of eligibility remaining.

A native of Suwanee, Ga., McDonald began his college football career at Iowa before transferring to Troy in 2020. He missed half of the 2021 season and all but two games in 2022 due to injury, but stayed healthy for all 13 games this season.

McDonald’s departure means Troy will have to replace at least eight of 11 starters for its 2023 defense, which is among the best in all of college football. The Trojans are fairly well set at inside linebacker, however, as sophomores Jordan Stringer and Terry Thomas have combined for 100 tackles this season while sharing time at Will (weak inside) linebacker.

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Troy (11-2) faces Duke (7-5) in the Birmingham Bowl on Saturday.