TIGERS

me prepared for D-1, because I was playing against a level of competition that I would see in D-1.”

Since arriving at Memphis in December, coach Mike Norvell has signed seven junior-college players. He said one of the challenges of recruiting at that level is finding players who will fit in immediately, both on and off the field.

“A guy can be a tremendous talent, but if he doesn’t fit the values and the core of what we’re doing, then he won’t make it,” Norvell said. “I love recruiting high-school players, because you know you get to have them and develop them. You’ve got to be very specific on junior college players, to make sure to get the right ones that you can develop and that you can also plug in and put in a position to be successful very early.”

Junior-college players are often mature or highly motivated when they arrive at a Division 1 program, in part because of the difficulty of their journeys.

Outside linebacker/defensive end DeMarco Montgomery, for example, sat out a year after high school and walked on to the football team at East Mississippi Community College in Scooba. Junior colleges in Mississippi are limited to eight football scholarships for out-of-state players, so Montgomery — a native of Alabama — had to fight for his spot.

“It was pretty rough for me. I was a walk-on trying to get a scholarship and make an eight-man roster,” he said. “I just had to stick with it and stay focused.”

Montgomery ended up spending two seasons at EMCC and winning two national championships there. The Lions football program has since been spotlighted in a Netflix documentary series titled “Last Chance U.”

“It’s pretty accurate,” Montgomery said of the documentary. “It’s crazy.” Tiger DB Arthur Maulet (left, with LB Genard Avery) transferred from a juco and said, “it makes you really grateful for everything when you get to Division 1.”

Many junior colleges are isolated in small towns, which can be an abrupt change for players. Coffeyville, where Ferguson starred last year, is a town of fewer than 10,000 tucked away in southeastern Kansas. Maulet, meanwhile, played at Copiah-Lincoln Community College in Wesson, Mississippi, which has a population of 1,900. Scooba’s population (716) is less than half that.

“There’s nothing to do — nothing but football,” Montgomery said. “We had two gas stations and a Subway. And a big football field. That was it.”

Edwards said the junior-college experience has given him a strong work ethic and a different perspective on college football. At Iowa Western, he didn’t feel like he had a personal relationship with his coaches. He lived in a dorm and had a nightly curfew.

“Very strict rules,” Edwards said. “It makes you appreciate the freedom, the respect, everything that you really get from the coaches we have now.”

COXIE ARRIVES

Former LSU commit Da’Monte Coxie was at practice for the first time Thursday morning, wearing No. 10 and working off to the side for most of the session.

Coxie had long been committed to LSU before academic issues prevented him from enrolling. Norvell said he received a call last week that Coxie had completed his remaining academic requirements and was a qualifier, enabling him to join Memphis’ football program.

“That was a pleasant surprise,” Norvell said. “He’s a special talent. He was somebody that coach (David) Johnson had a great relationship with. When I was at my last place, he was a guy that I went by (to see) and we had recruited and offered and wanted him there. So we were excited about the opportunity to get him, and we feel like we got a really tremendous talent and a great young man.”

Norvell confirmed that Coxie will redshirt in 2016 and be eligible to play next fall.