Troy Pride

Troy Pride Jr. (born January 19, 1998) is an American football cornerback for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Notre Dame.

Early life
Pride grew up in Greer, South Carolina and attended Greer High School. As a senior, Pride caught 41 passes for 848 yards and 13 touchdowns, rushed for 197 yards and three touchdowns, returned three punts for touchdowns and intercepted three passes on defense with one returned for a touchdown. He originally committed to play college football at Virginia Tech, but de-committed after the retirement of head coach Frank Beamer. He ultimately committed to Notre Dame over offers from North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Ole Miss, Tennessee, and Clemson.

College career
Pride played in eight games with three starts for the Fighting Irish as a true freshman, making 12 tackles with a fumble recovery. As a sophomore, he recorded 22 tackles and one tackle for loss with an interception and two passes broken up. As a junior, Pride made 47 tackles and finished second on the team with 10 passes defended and two interceptions. As a senior, Pride was named All-Independent by Pro Football Focus after making 37 tackles with an interception and five passes defended and holding quarterbacks to a 50.9% completion rate on passes thrown into his coverage. Pride finished his collegiate career with 121 tackles, 18 passes broken up and four interceptions with one forced fumble and two fumbles recovered in 45 games played.

Pride was also a sprinter for the Notre Dame track team. He competed in the 60-meter dash final at the 2018 Atlantic Coast Conference Indoor Track and Field Championship.

Carolina Panthers
Pride was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the fourth round with the 113th pick of the 2020 NFL Draft. Pride made his NFL debut on September 13, 2020, in the season opener against the Las Vegas Raiders, starting the game and making seven total tackles in a 34-30 loss. On January 2, 2021, Pride was placed on injured reserve. He finished the season with 41 tackles and two pass deflections.

On August 17, 2021, Pride was placed on injured reserve after suffering a knee injury in the preseason.

On May 16, 2022, Pride was waived by the Panthers after failing his physical.

New Orleans Saints
On January 11, 2023, Pride signed a reserve/future contract with the New Orleans Saints. He was waived on August 29, 2023.

Las Vegas Raiders
On September 14, 2023, Pride was signed to the practice squad of the Las Vegas Raiders. He was released on December 20.

Houston Texans
On December 27, 2023, Pride was signed to the practice squad of the Houston Texans. He signed a reserve/future contract on January 22, 2024.