Alabama is quietly becoming a recruiting hotbed for Memphis. Over the past couple of years the Tigers have snagged 6 recruits from the Yellowhammer State.
5 may not be a high number but it's the quality of kids that Memphis has got to commit.
Take a look at some of the signees from Alabama this year and you can see why Alabama is starting to become a recruiting priority.
Offensive Linemen Drew Kyser. Kyser, 6-foot-3 300 lbs., is a Center but has the ability to play all 5 positions on the offensive line. Rivals.com may have only rated him a 2-star but the Memphis staff sees the value of Kyser. You're getting a kid who you can plug into any position on the line.
Kyser is a midyear enrollee and is getting acclimated to the weight room and playbook. The Tigers have depth on the offensive line and would love to redshirt him but I wouldn't be surprised if by the end of the season if he crept into the 2 deep chart.
Running back Jamarius Henderson is a 3-Star running back that had options. He was a top priority for Colorado State. He had offers from Kentucky, Cincinnati, Louisville and UCF.
The big back rushed for an Alabama state record 3,471 yards this season that included 48 total touchdowns, 44 of which came on the ground. Defensively, he collected 163 tackles at linebacker.
Memphis needs to find a couple of reliable running backs now that Brandon Hayes has graduated. Henderson will certainly get a look.
Linebacker Steven Enis is a highly underrated player. Not ranked by Rivals.com. Interesting tidbit is that Enis's mom is the fastest female athlete ever to come out of Fayette County High.
Enis will play inside linebacker and will get a great look to play early.
Defensive Tackle Jared Gentry is a beast. He's 6-foot-3 323 lbs and all he does is attack. Gentry is fast and athletic. He had an offer from Cincinnati but chose the Tigers. His high school teammate and Memphis commit Drew Kyser played an important role in getting Gentry.
With the graduation of Terry Redden, don't be surprised if Gentry gets playing time early.
Defensive Back Kameron Prewitt is good corner that can handle man or zone coverage. He's very versatile and with the graduation of Bobby McCain and Andrew Gains, Prewitt will look to come in and contribute early.
So what is the major reason for the continued success?
Coach Fuente credits some of that to assistant coach Holman Wiggans.
"Holman Wiggans has been in Alabama [recruiting] for three years now and I think it paid dividends for us this year. It pays dividends when you have the same guy in the same spot to continue to develop those relationships."
That obviously was huge this year and the fruits of that labor will surely increase as the Tigers already offered Athlete Erroll Thompson from Florence (AL). Thompson is currently a 3-Star from Rivals.
Will the Alabama pipeline continue with Thompson? Time will tell.
This post was edited on 2/9 4:27 PM by Bryan_Moss
5 may not be a high number but it's the quality of kids that Memphis has got to commit.
Take a look at some of the signees from Alabama this year and you can see why Alabama is starting to become a recruiting priority.
Offensive Linemen Drew Kyser. Kyser, 6-foot-3 300 lbs., is a Center but has the ability to play all 5 positions on the offensive line. Rivals.com may have only rated him a 2-star but the Memphis staff sees the value of Kyser. You're getting a kid who you can plug into any position on the line.
Kyser is a midyear enrollee and is getting acclimated to the weight room and playbook. The Tigers have depth on the offensive line and would love to redshirt him but I wouldn't be surprised if by the end of the season if he crept into the 2 deep chart.
Running back Jamarius Henderson is a 3-Star running back that had options. He was a top priority for Colorado State. He had offers from Kentucky, Cincinnati, Louisville and UCF.
The big back rushed for an Alabama state record 3,471 yards this season that included 48 total touchdowns, 44 of which came on the ground. Defensively, he collected 163 tackles at linebacker.
Memphis needs to find a couple of reliable running backs now that Brandon Hayes has graduated. Henderson will certainly get a look.
Linebacker Steven Enis is a highly underrated player. Not ranked by Rivals.com. Interesting tidbit is that Enis's mom is the fastest female athlete ever to come out of Fayette County High.
Enis will play inside linebacker and will get a great look to play early.
Defensive Tackle Jared Gentry is a beast. He's 6-foot-3 323 lbs and all he does is attack. Gentry is fast and athletic. He had an offer from Cincinnati but chose the Tigers. His high school teammate and Memphis commit Drew Kyser played an important role in getting Gentry.
With the graduation of Terry Redden, don't be surprised if Gentry gets playing time early.
Defensive Back Kameron Prewitt is good corner that can handle man or zone coverage. He's very versatile and with the graduation of Bobby McCain and Andrew Gains, Prewitt will look to come in and contribute early.
So what is the major reason for the continued success?
Coach Fuente credits some of that to assistant coach Holman Wiggans.
"Holman Wiggans has been in Alabama [recruiting] for three years now and I think it paid dividends for us this year. It pays dividends when you have the same guy in the same spot to continue to develop those relationships."
That obviously was huge this year and the fruits of that labor will surely increase as the Tigers already offered Athlete Erroll Thompson from Florence (AL). Thompson is currently a 3-Star from Rivals.
Will the Alabama pipeline continue with Thompson? Time will tell.
This post was edited on 2/9 4:27 PM by Bryan_Moss
