Midyear signees look solid
Windham already appears on track to start at corner
After a March Madness-related hiatus last week, the Tiger Football Mailbag is back this week. And there’s a lot to get to.
Thanks, as always, for those of you who submitted questions. Remember, as always, that you can submit questions at any time either via e-mail (tom.schad@commercialappeal.com) or on Twitter (@Tom_Schad). The more creative questions, the better. Please try to include #TigerMail when tweeting your questions, so I can see them. With that said, let’s dive in. Via Twitter from @mewesley28 : “what is your opinion of the 5 midyear signees”
Great question. I really like Tito Windham, first of all. He’s a smaller guy, but he’s quick and, most importantly, he’s physical. He’s been taking first-team repetitions at cornerback opposite Christian Slaughter this week and I think he’ll enter the season as a starter. Marcus Green, the other junior-college cornerback, has flashed at times but needs to be more consistent. He looks like a guy that’s still getting up to speed. Sanchez Blake, who played locally at Olive Branch High School, has been rotating in with the second team at safety and the coaching staff thinks he could contribute as a true freshman this year. Wide receiver Coye Fairman has excellent size but still has some growing to do. And I honestly haven’t seen much of JJ Russell, but Mike Norvell raved about him this spring. He’s in a tough spot simply because the Tigers just have so much depth at linebacker this year.
From @Marba52 : “Tom, when we play the better teams the biggest difference in players are size and strength. Are we getting stronger and bigger?”
It’s hard to quantify this but yeah, I think so. For one, the recruiting classes seem to be getting larger. Look at guys like Damonte Coxie (6-3) and Nick Robinson (6-4) at wide receiver, or Obinna Eze (6-8, 283), Mikhail Hill (6-4, 315) and Tanis Joseph (6-4, 290) up front.
Part of the shift, especially on the offensive line, is the result of Norvell’s staff putting more of a premium on size. They want big guys up front, so they’re recruiting them. I’d also mention that a lot of these guys have made huge gains in the weight room. Defensive lineman Peyton Jones, for example, has apparently put on something like 60 pounds in the past year. Quarterback David Moore added 20 pounds this winter alone. Those gains aren’t rare in college football, but they do reflect positively on strength coach Josh Storms and his staff and speak to your question about the team getting bigger and stronger.
From @glenn_burnett : “will the tigers linebackers be the strength of the defense this year?”
I think so, absolutely. You’ve got returning starters there, but also tons of depth. Genard Avery has a chance to be one of the most disruptive defensive players in the American Athletic Conference, but beside him you’ve got Curtis Akins, who’s made major strides over the past six months. And behind them, you’ve got Shareef White, Darian Porter, Tim Hart — all capable of stepping in and contributing when needed. There’s plenty of young depth at the KAT and STAR hybrid positions, too, between Bryce Huff, Jacoby Hill, Austin Hall, Thomas Pickens and Nehemiah Augustus.
From @arlitiger : “you have written about the backup QBs but how is Riley Ferguson looking?”
I haven’t mentioned Ferguson much because you pretty much know what you’re getting with him at this point. He’s like Anthony Miller or Phil Mayhue or Jonathan Cook — guys that practice well almost every day. Ferguson looks a little bit more confident this spring than he did even late last season, but he’s otherwise been the same guy. He’s still got the best arm on the team, and the best timing on his delivery. He’s an all-conferencecaliber player.
From @MemTigr : “Who will be the backup QB coming out of fall camp?”
I wish I had an answer for you. What I can tell you is that Brady Davis took the majority of the second-team repetitions in practice Thursday. He’s getting back into the swing of things. But Moore also had one long scramble in a red-zone drill, reminding everyone about his unique ability to extend plays. As I’ve said all along, I don’t think this position battle will be decided in the spring. I think Norvell will continue to evaluate them throughout the summer and into fall camp before making a decision.
Via email from Barry M.: “You have mentioned that Gill is taking snaps at LT, has he bulked up since last season, he seems light to be playing at that position. Also, does John Tate look like he can be a game changers of the DL? He was the Tigers highest rated recruit for his class and we need help on the DL. On another subject, did the scouts at NFL Senior Day show interest in anyone other than Jake Elliot and Arthur Maulet? I thought Pennington might get a look.”
All good questions. Starting with Harneet Gill: Yes, he has bulked up. He’s listed at 265 but I’ve been told he’s at least 20 pounds heavier now. Tate has all the potential in the world, but I don’t think he’s there just yet. I expect him to contribute up front this year, but he’ll have to earn his snaps at defensive tackle. Jared Gentry has more experience, and Emmanuel Cooper has gotten rave reviews from coaches this spring. And as for your final question: Yes, a few scouts showed interest in other guys. I think some of them, like safety Chris Morley, could sign as undrafted free agents or get an invite to a rookie mini-camp.
From @belizeman1 : “can we observe the spring practices?”
I’ve gotten a lot of questions about this recently. Spring practices are open to the media, but they’re not open to the general public. To get a look at the team this spring, you’ll have to attend the spring game at the Liberty Bowl on April 14.
From @bluegooseo6 : “Has there ever been consideration to moving the spring game to Saturday ? Tough for working folks to attend.”
Scheduling is tricky. If you move the game to Saturday, April 15, for example, you risk people being out of town for Easter weekend. If you move it later in the month, you risk overlapping with a Grizzlies’ playoff game, like last year. So I don’t know what Memphis’ thinking is, exactly, but I know it’s hard to pick a date and time that works for everyone.