TROY, Ala. (TROJANVISION) — When people think of Wi-Fi, many people would think of the five bars that appear on your screen that allows you to use messages, social media and videos, but for coach football head coach Gerad Parker, it means more than that.

Over the preseason, Parker started the phrase, “plug in and compete.” The branding is meant to represent the connection between his players and staff.

“One big piece going into year three was with new players and old players is how do you get them to connect,” said Parker. “Connection led me to believe in what does everyone want when they sit down in a new place, to eat, whether there going to a hotel or travelling, they want Wi-Fi, and they want that stuff to be good, five bar Wi-Fi, so as it got going we started to feed off of it and so our symbol is our Wi-Fi connection.”

Although the players have connected with one another over the preseason, the phrase aims to show what real connection is, and inspire change not just on the field but through our day to day lives.

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“It’s something we need to do more of,” Parker said. “Our impact may not be across the world in what we do here, but we can create change in how we communicate.

“How we get to learn about new people we otherwise wouldn’t know, how we see the world through a lens of a guy who came from a very different place than you did and so I think the power is in the people.”

The connection this team has would not be possible without the players. With new players coming in and old players returning, many have to learn to play with each other. This new branding achieves that representation, showing how both sides of Trojan football can connect and fight through as one. 

“We like to connect with each other, because once you connect as a team, you can become stronger,” said running back Jordan Lovett. “Everybody is going through the same thing together, and once you see your brother down and once you see your brother up, you can just connect to them, and, yeah, we’re hurting, but we’re hurting together.”

Whether you’re connecting your laptop, or connecting with a friend, just know the Trojans will have five bars going into this season.