Memphis 2012 Recruiting

Memphis Tigers 2012 ... Head Coach: Justin Fuente

Memphis Tigers

2011 Record: 2-10

Sep. 1 Mississippi St L 59-14
Sep. 10 at Arkansas State L 47-3
Sep. 17 Austin Peay W 27-6
Sep. 24 SMU L 42-0
Oct. 1 at Middle Tenn L 38-31
Oct. 8 at Rice L 28-6
Oct. 15 East Carolina L 35-17
Oct. 22 at Tulane W 33-17
Oct. 29 at UCF L 41-0
Nov. 5 OPEN DATE
Nov. 12 UAB L 41-35
Nov. 19 Marshall L 23-22
Nov. 26 at Southern Miss L 44-7

2010 CFN Prediction: 1-11
2010 Record: 1-11

Sept. 4 at Miss St L 49-7
Sept. 11 at East Carolina L 49-24
Sept. 18 Mid Tenn W 24-17
Sept. 25 at UTEP L 16-13
Oct. 2 Tulsa L 48-7
Oct. 9 at Louisville L 56-0
Oct. 16 Southern Miss L 41-19
Oct. 23 OPEN DATE
Oct. 30 Houston L 56-17
Nov. 6 Tennessee L50-14
Nov. 13 at Marshall L 28-13
Nov. 20 at UAB L 31-15
Nov. 27 UCF L 37-17
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The Entire 2012 Recruiting Class

Top 5 Memphis Recruits To Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. QB Will Gross
6-2, 190, Scout.com 36th ranked, three-star quarterback. Gross finished his junior season with 2,333 yards passing, 34 touchdowns and six interceptions. He reports 215-pounds squat. Gross also plays baseball (first base) and basketball (small forward). "I’m an athlete. I really want to do more than one sport in college.”

2. OT Antonio Foster
6-4, 300, Scout.com three-star JUCO transfer.

3. OG Markeith Minnick
6-3, 303, Scout.com three-star guard.

4. OT Antonio Foster
6-4, 300, Scout.com three-star JUCO transfer.

5. MLB Anthony Brown
6-3, 240, Scout.com two-star JUCO transfer.

The 2012 Class Was Heavy On... After going after skill players over the last two classes, Memphis will be hitting the defensive side hard. New head coach Justin Fuentes has to upgrade the offensive line to allow all the young playmakers to shine, and while the Tigers should be fine for the next year or so, Fuentes needs players to develop for 2014.

Team Concerns For 2012: Defensive line. Both starting ends are done and top tackle Dontari Poe is leaving early for the NFL. The linebackers should be fine for now, and the secondary will be a positive soon, but none of it will matter without a good rotation up front. This recruiting class, though, won’t be searching for any instant answers.

Looking Ahead To The 2012 Season: It’s a new era for Memphis football after a few years of being among the worst programs in college football. New head coach Justin Fuente’s first task is to improve as pass defense that finished dead last, allowing close to 300 yards per game, Three starters are back in the secondary, but they need help from a pass rush that was merely a rumor last year. Both starting defensive ends are gone, but the real killer is the loss of tackle Dontari Poe a year early to the NFL. Leading tackler Terrence Thomas is done, but the rest of the linebacking corps returns intact. The offense needs playmakers and has to settle on a quarterback after Taylor Reed took over and with Andy Summerlin in the mix. Leading rusher Billy Foster is done, as is top receiver Tannar Rehrer. Four starters return on the O line.

2011 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 73. That Class Was Heavy On ... Skill players. What do you get for the team that needs everything? Everything. Larry Porter sprinkled in a few linemen here, a couple of defensive backs there, and a lot of skill players to try to jump-start the offense sooner than later. Big passers Domonique Harris and Taylor Reed will fight it out for time in the near future, but running back Artaves Gibson will be expected to see work immediately and the hope will be for Ryan Byrd and/or Jermaine Johnson to be a No. 1 receiver early on.

2010 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 78. That Class Was Heavy On ... Quarterbacks. New head coach Larry Porter isn't going to start out his era without any firepower. JUCO running back Ketarus Stanton and running back Jerrell Rhodes and Sean Farr from Hargrave Military Academy might be plugged in immediately. It'll be an interesting battle for the starting quarterback gig with four passers brought in. Kevin Wright is the best of the bunch, but JUCO transfer Andy Summerlin is ready right now. He'll be in spring ball and might have the inside track for the No. 1 spot.

2009 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 95. That Class Was Heavy On ... offensive linemen. Faced with some turnover in the trenches, Tommy West aimed to keep the area replenished by inking five linemen no smaller than 6-4 and 275 pounds. Of the group, G Ricky Hart really has Tiger fans excited. A 6-3, 315-pound drive blocker, who was pursued by the ACC and SEC, he’ll likely spend just one year as a backup before moving into the starting lineup.

Nov. 26 at Southern Miss 44 … Memphis 7
(AP) HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- Austin Davis passed for 277 yards and two scores, and ran for another as Southern Mississippi breezed past Memphis 44-7 Saturday.

Davis completed 14 of 26 passes to give the Golden Eagles (10-2) their first Conference USA Eastern Division title since 2006 and their first 10-win season since 1988.

Southern Mississippi will play at No. 8-ranked Houston in the conference championship game next Saturday.

A week after falling from all three major polls with a 34-31 loss to UAB, Southern Miss came out firing and outgained Memphis 540 yards to 174 and racked up 25 first downs.

The Tigers (2-10) have now won five games in the past three seasons combined.

Southern Miss running back Desmond Johnson rushed for 103 yards on 11 carries.

Tracy Lampley added 44 yards on seven carries and caught five passes for 116 yards, including a 49-yard touchdown from Davis on a flea-flicker.

Southern Miss kicker Danny Hrapmann was 3-of-3 on field goal attempts and 5-of-5 on extra points.

The Golden Eagles defense forced three turnovers and returned a pair of interceptions for touchdowns.

The first came with just over a minute left in the first half on a 35-yard return by Deron Wilson. The second was a 100-yard return by Kendrick Presley with 1:17 left in the third quarter.

Memphis (2-10) managed just 21 rushing yards on 23 attempts. The Tigers narrowly avoided a shutout with a late defensive score when Mitch Huelsing recovered a Southern Miss fumble in the end zone for a touchdown with 6:54 remaining.

Tigers quarterback Andy Summerlin completed 21 of his 45 attempts for 174 yards.

Nov. 17 Marshall 23 … at Memphis 22

Nov. 12 UAB 41 … at Memphis 35

Oct. 29 at UCF 41 … Memphis 0  

Oct. 22 Memphis 33 … at Tulane 17  

Oct. 15 at East Carolina 35 … Memphis 17
CFN Analysis:  Memphis got the offense moving a little bit early, but the defense that’s having so many problems against the pass didn’t come up with any key stops in the second half once Dominique Davis and the hot ECU passing game got going. Skylar Jones threw for 124 yards, but he threw two picks, while Taylor Reed threw a touchdown pass but only completed 5-of-12 passes. Memphis can’t keep the chains moving, and if an offense can’t work against East Carolina, there are going to be problems against Tulane coming up and forget about generating any offense against UCF in a few weeks. 

Oct. 8 at Rice 28 … Memphis 6
CFN Analysis: Rice was dead last in the nation in defense and Memphis managed just six points. The ground game continues to be non-existent, gaining just 70 yards, but the big problem is an offensive line that’s not providing any time for the quarterbacks to work. Andy Summerlin came in and tried to bomb away completing 9-of-13 passes for 137 yards, but he was a sitting duck. The defense did a decent job against a mediocre Owl attack, but the Tiger O couldn’t take advantage of three takeaways with three turnovers of its own. With East Carolina up next, the offense needs to be ready for more of a shootout. 

Oct. 1 Middle Tennessee 38 ... at Memphis 31
CFN Analysis: Memphis looked like a real, live team again after disastrous performances against SMU and Arkansas state in the previous weeks. The secondary didn’t hold up late, but the offense moved the ball and kept the chains moving. Taylor Reed came up with his best performance of the season completing 25-of-32 passes for 230 yards and a touchdown, and Billy Foster cranked out 94 rushing yards and two scores, but the defense lost the fourth quarter. Rice isn’t moving the ball well and Tulane is struggling, so the chances are there over the next few weeks to come up with a win if the pass defense can come up with a few stops late. That’ll only come with more of a pass rush to help the cause. 

Sept. 24 SMU 42 … at Memphis 0
CFN Analysis: If Memphis isn’t the worst team in America, it’s trying to play like it. The defense came up with four takeaways and the offense did absolutely nothing to take advantage of them with -14 net yards rushing with four sacks allowed, and QB Taylor Reed never had a shot to get anything going down the field. There was one bit play to Keiwone Malone, but that was it for the excitement. With four road games coming up in the next five, things might get tougher before there’s any turnaround, but there has to be some sign of improvement. 

Sept. 17 at Memphis 27 ... Austin Peay 6
CFN Analysis: Memphis was able to show a little sign of life against a bad opponent. Austin Peay started out the season giving up 72 points against to Cincinnati, and Memphis showed that it could move the ball a little bit with 332 passing yards and three scores from Taylor Reed, helped by the 93-yard scoring play from Billy Foster. Akeem Davis made ten stops, all solo, with a tackle for loss, and he broke up pass. The defense was merely average, but it didn’t break. Now comes SMU to kick off Conference USA play, and with the way the secondary is playing, this week might have been the high mark for the season. 

Sept. 10 at Arkansas State 47 … Memphis 3
CFN Analysis: This is a young team, but it’s a very, very bad team. Arkansas State isn’t good enough to beat anyone 47-3, and the Tigers didn’t do anything to slow down the passing game. The Tigers aren’t moving the ball through the air, and the defense is the worst in the nation after two weeks allowing over 1,200 yards in two games. The offensive line never gave the skill players a chance with Taylor Reed only completing 13-of-29 passes for 87 yards, and with no running game to help the cause. If Memphis doesn’t beat Austin Peay next week, it might not come up with a win. 

Sept. 1 Mississippi State 59 … at Memphis 14
CFN Analysis: Nothing worked. Memphis barely showed up on D as the front line was destroyed by Mississippi State from the start and the secondary struggled way too much for the entire game. The blowout gave freshman quarterback Taylor Reed plenty of time to work, and while he wasn’t awful, he didn’t do much to push the ball down the field and the offense went next to nowhere far too often. The running game didn’t have a chance, and the passing attack was averaging just over four yards per play; that’s not good enough to get by, even against a strong team like MSU. Arkansas State and Austin Peay should help make the Tigers look good over the next few weeks, but the penalties, the mental mistakes, and the sloppiness has to stop. 

The 2011 Recruiting Class Is Heavy On … Skill players. What do you get for the team that needs everything? Everything. Larry Porter sprinkled in a few linemen here, a couple of defensive backs there, and a lot of skill players to try to jump-start the offense sooner than later. Big passers Domonique Harris and Taylor Reed will fight it out for time in the near future, but running back Artaves Gibson will be expected to see work immediately and the hope will be for Ryan Byrd and/or Jermaine Johnson to be a No. 1 receiver early on.

Five Memphis Recruits You Should Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. DT Terry Redden
6-3, 285, Scout.com’s 46th ranked defensive tackle

2. RB Artaves Gibson
6-1, 210, Scout.com’s 61st ranked running back

3. WR Ryan Byrd
6-2, 175, Scout.com’s 136th ranked receiver

4. WR Jermaine Johnson
6-3, 170, Scout.com’s 146th ranked receiver

5. DE Zach Golson
6-4, 255, two-star JUCO transfer

2011 Entire Recruiting Class

LaMarvin Ashley ATH 5-10 165 Fr. McComb, Miss./McComb
Reggis Ball LB 5-11 200 Fr. Stone Mountain, Ga./Stephenson
Ryan Byrd ATH 6-0 170 Fr. Greensburg, La./St. Helena
Nick Chartain OL 6-5 320 So. New Orleans, La./Desire Street Academy/Independence CC
Michael Davis LB 6-2 215 Fr. Columbus, Ga./Carver
Jordan Devey OL 6-6 320 Jr. American Fork, Utah/American Fork/Snow College
Taylor Fallin OT 6-6 320 Fr. Bowie, Md./Bowie/Hargrave Military
Zach Gholson DL 6-3 250 Jr. Carlsbad, Calif./La Costa Canyon/Palomar College
Artaves Gibson RB 6-1 220 Fr. Memphis, Tenn./Mitchell
Monte Golden C/OL 6-2 301 Fr. Jacksonville, N.C./Northside
Kevin Green LB 6-1 205 Fr. Memphis, Tenn./Wooddale
Carl Harris RB 5-10 190 Fr. Dallas, Texas/Woodrow Wilson
Charles Harris LB 6-2 215 Fr. Memphis, Tenn./Whitehaven
Domonique Harris QB 6-5 225 Fr. Southaven, Miss./Southaven
Bakari Hollier DB 5-9 195 Fr. Lafayette, La./Acadiana
Derek Howard WR 6-2 190 Fr. Boutte, La./Hahnville
Ricky Hunter DT 6-4 280 Fr. Loachapoka, Ala./Loachapoka
Jermaine Johnson WR 6-3 170 Fr. Houma, La./Ellender
Kenyata Johnson LB 6-2 220 Jr. Jackson, Miss./Provine/Hinds CC
Tyler Marzette OT 6-6 320 Fr. Birmingham, Ala./Huffman
Bobby McCain DB 5-11 180 Fr. Oxford, Ala./Oxford
Tyriq Patrick WR 6-3 190 Fr. Philadelphia, Miss./Philadelphia
Donald Pennington DT 6-2 300 Fr. Amite, La./Amite
Joe Price RB 5-9 175 Fr. Madison, Miss./Madison Central
Terry Redden DT 6-2 285 Fr. Memphis, Tenn./Whitehaven
Taylor Reed QB 6-3 210 Fr. El Dorado, Ark./El Dorado
Robert Roquemore OT 6-6 310 Fr. Covington, Ga./Newton
Jamere Valentine WR 6-2 210 Jr. Myrtle Beach, S.C./Myrtle Beach/Butte College
Perrance Ward DB 6-0 205 Jr. West Point, Miss./West Point/East Miss. CC