LAGRANGE – It’s been a winding road to Troup High for Micah Alba.

He’s gone from Marietta where he played high-school football, to BYU in Utah where he was a member of that team for four seasons before serving as a graduate assistant for four years.

He then coached at Fresno State before returning to his home state where he was the defensive coordinator at Dublin High before joining the Carrollton High staff for two years.

Now, Alba has been tasked with leading the Troup defense as the defensive coordinator, and he is spending the summer getting to know his new players and preparing them for a season that begins in a little more than two months.

Alba is part of a new-look defensive staff for the Tigers.

Another newcomer to the staff is Tripp Busby, the former defensive coordinator at Greenville who will be coaching the linebackers, and head coach Tanner Glisson will also be working on the defensive side of the ball.

“Tripp’s doing linebackers, and Alba’s doing secondary, and I’m doing the defensive line. So it’ll be fun,” Glisson said. “We’ve got three different defensive coordinators coaching defense, so that’ll be good. It’s a big upgrade from where we were. I’m very, very pleased with our coaching staff.”

Alba, who played at Walton High before heading to BYU where he was a standout defensive back, said the summer is a critical time as he becomes familiar with the men he’ll be leading onto the field this fall.

“That’s been the biggest key is just working with them, and seeing where everybody fits, and how they fit in with what we want to do,” Alba said.

Troup began its summer program last week, and Alba said “the guys that have been here have done a great job.”

“They’re listening, they’re attentive,” Alba added. “They’re trying to do everything we’re asking them to do.”

Busby has had a little more time to become acquainted with the players since he was around for the two weeks of spring practice.

He was able to see the players with the pads on, and observe how they handled a full-contact situation.

“I worked this spring with them,” Busby said. “I was able to get to know them a little bit better, and kind of understand how they’re going to perform in their shoulder pads. I kind of got an idea of who can do what, and that’ll help.”

Alba and Busby are trying to help the players not just learn the Xs and Os, but develop a winning mindset after a difficult 2015 season.

The Tigers began the 2015 season with nine straight losses before closing with a win over Whitewater.

“I think all kids want to win,” Busby said. “We just have to teach them how to win. Once they get in their mind that they can do it, they can.”

Reach Kevin Eckleberry at (706) 884-7311 or on Twitter @lagrangesports