Troy’s Boris Lee has something to prove

By Drew Champlin

Published: July 22, 2008

NEW ORLEANS — Troy linebacker Boris Lee wants to be the best. Not in the country, but in the nation.

But the Trojan junior, who represented Troy at Sun Belt Media Days, knows a good one when he sees it.

“Every game, I watch the other linebackers and try to pick up on things they do and see if they can make me better,” Lee said.

One of those is Florida Atlantic senior Frantz Joseph. His 131 tackles led the league last year and his 12.5 tackles for loss was second.

Naturally, Joseph was chosen as the league’s Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.

Lee’s assessment?

“I definitely agree with that,” Lee said. “I think he’s very good, a spectacular linebacker. You look at his motor, and it never stops.”

Lee’s got the credentials to make that assessment. Last year, Lee led Troy with 82 tackles, had two interceptions, recovered three fumbles and scored two touchdowns.

Lost in that is a two-game stretch against North Texas and Florida International where Lee didn’t register a single tackle in either game.

So would he have gotten the preseason award over Joseph with average games against the two?

“Maybe,” Lee said. “Possibly. What I thank God for is that I had the stats I had, because there were a lot of games where I didn’t think I was going to make it since I couldn’t eat a pregame meal.”

Eating was something Lee couldn’t do much of last fall. Late in the spring, his tonsils started swelling. It got worse as the summer wore on as Lee couldn’t swallow more than two bites of solid food without extreme pain.

It got to the point where August surgery was an option, but Lee would have missed half of last year.

“There was no way I was going to do that, with all the important games we had early on,” Lee said. “I just had to tough it out.”

So while most players packed on carbohydrates and energy before the games, Lee struggled. He lost weight and played much of last season in the 195-200 pound range.

And he was still an all-conference postseason selection.

One tonsil surgery later, and Lee’s able to eat and pack on weight while keeping his speed. Lee was listed in this year’s media guide at 231 pounds.

“He looks the best he has since he’s been here,” Troy head coach Larry Blakeney said.

And Lee’s taking Troy’s team success personally as well. He said he was insulted by Troy not being picked first in the league, and insulted with him not being picked as Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year.

“What competitive player wouldn’t want to get noticed like that?” Lee said. “I want to be the best, and I’m working as hard as I can to be the best.”

Troy, which went 8-4 last year, didn’t go to a bowl game because of a 38-32 loss to FAU in the season finale. It’s a loss that Lee takes personally.

“I think a lot of times last year, we got cocky and if we got behind, we knew we’d just pick it up at the end,” Lee said. “The coaches’ schemes for that game were perfect. The more I watch film from that game, I realize that. I loved those schemes and I hope we run them again.

“We just didn’t do what we were supposed to do on the field. I didn’t do what I was supposed to do on the field.”

This coming from a guy who had a season-high 14 tackles in that game.