Troy announced on Thursday afternoon that former Missouri quarterback Taylor Powell will be their starter as the Trojans open their season against Southern on Sep. 4.

Powell beat out Gunnar Watson, last year’s starter, for the job.

A Fayetteville, Ark. native, Powell was ranked as the No. 6 player in the state for the class of 2017. He ended up signing with the Tigers and redshirted his first season.

As Drew Lock’s backup in 2018, Powell appeared in 3 games, completing 6 of his 14 passes for 134 yards. In 2019, with Kelly Bryant playing his grad transfer season in Columbia, he appeared in 6 games while starting against Georgia.

After graduating in the spring of 2020, Powell opted to transfer from Missouri after Connor Bazelak was named the Tigers’ starter. He announced in December that he had committed to the Trojans, and will have 2 years of eligibility remaining.

Troy was 5-6 in the 2020 season, including a 3-4 mark in the Sun Belt.