“The Memphis job is the perfect job in the perfect place for me,” said Larry Porter when he was hired as the new head football coach of the University of Memphis back in November. “I understand the Memphis brand. I believe in it unconditionally. I have a conviction, a passion about it, and a vision that allows me to walk into homes in this community, talk to the student body and faculty and get them to believe in that vision.”
Larry Porter
If those words sound unfamiliar, it’s because they connote optimism, something that the floundering Memphis program has lacked in recent seasons. Porter intends to bring it back in spades. A former Tiger running back in the early 1990s, he still holds the school record for most rushing yards in a game by a freshman, which is saying something considering DeAngelo Williams was a recent Memphis product. By the looks of things, it appears Porter will is going to channel the same amount of effort to his coaching as he did to his ball-carrying.
“In terms of selling your program and believing in something, you have to have a conviction,” Porter said at his hiring. “I don’t think we should be in a position where we have to take a backseat to anybody.”
The best way to gauge optimism in a program is to see what kind of recruits the program hauls in. Assuming seeing is believing, Porter has reason to be excited.
As of last week’s National Signing Day, 26 new players have committed to play for the Tigers in 2010, and some have already hit campus. According to Rivals.com, Memphis received commitments from 13 of the top 750 players in the country, and four of them have already enrolled for the spring semester, making them eligible for spring practice.
Two other players among those 13 come from right here in Memphis, an area that Porter was particularly intent on scouring for talent. Linebacker Fred Harvey (White Station HS) and defensive end Corey Jones (Mitchell HS) both opted to stay home. “Coach Porter is starting something special and I wanted to be a part of that” Harvey said when he committed in early December. “Coach Porter is going to change this program.”
Linebacker recruit Fred Harvey likes what he sees in the Tigers' new coaching staff.
Whatever his effect on Memphis kids, there is no question that Porter’s enthusiasm is infectious elsewhere as well, a truth verified by the number of high schools and junior colleges that are sending multiple recruits Porter’s way. Wide receiver Dejarrius Adams is joined by linebacker Alphonso Bruton, a teammate from El Camino CC in California; defensive tackle D’Angelo McCray accompanied quarterback Andy Summerlin from Coffeyville CC in Kansas, and running back Jerrell Rhodes brings with him guard Johnnie Farms and wide receiver Sean Farr of Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, VA.
Overall, the Tigers’ class ranks 59th in the nation and 4th in Conference USA, trailing Houston (45th), Southern Miss (53rd) and Central Florida (56th). Considering they finished with a 2-10 record last year, that’s not too shabby. It even includes two former SEC players in linebacker Khiry Battle (Arkansas) and wide receiver Delmon Robinson (Mississippi State), a sign that maybe things really are looking up for the Tigers.
“This is a class we are very excited about,” Porter told the Memphis Commercial Appeal. “We feel we’ve improved our team across the board.”
It’s exciting to see so many young men attracted to the Memphis program and to this city. It’s more exciting still for Porter, who has been here before and made the choice to return when many don’t. He, for one, is brimming with confidence, and given the recent decline of the program, Memphians can hardly wait for him to be right. This class won’t win games by itself, but at least it’s a start.
