Five position battles to watch at Memphis in fall camp
Memphis lost five of the top six cornerbacks on its depth chart from a year ago, so there was sure to be turnover here. The Tigers appear to have found one starting cornerback in junior-college transfer Tito Windham, who impressed coaches and teammates alike in spring ball, but the other starting spot seems to be up for grabs. Christian Slaughter took most of the reps there in spring ball after JUCO transfer Marcus Green went down with a leg injury. But freshman T.J. Carter lived up to his billing as a consensus four-star recruit during summer workouts. Senior safety Jonathan Cook has played corner in the past and could slide down, allowing Josh Perry and Shaun Rupert to man the safety spots. And then there’s a wave of freshmen (Jacobi Francis, Quindon Lewis, Tamaurice Smith and La’Andre Thomas among them) who could ostensibly go out and win the job in fall camp. In the end, Carter seems like the most likely starter in Week 1. But this will be a fascinating group to watch over the next month.
Redshirt sophomore Brady Davis has now had a full year to recover from the leg injury he suffered last preseason. Redshirt freshman David Moore has now had a full year to learn coach Mike Norvell’s offense. Who will back up Riley Ferguson this year, and have the inside track at starting in 2018? It’s still too early to say. Moore had the more impressive spring game performance, but Davis had his moments during spring ball, too. The most likely outcome: Memphis listing its backup quarterback as “Davis
Moore” on its depth chart for Week 1, but ultimately turning to Moore if Ferguson gets injured during a game and the team needs an immediate spark.
Donald Pennington never got a ton of accolades at Memphis, even though he started 26 consecutive games over the past two seasons and did a solid job. Among those most likely to replace him are juniors Emmanuel Cooper and Jared Gentry. Cooper has fought through injuries during his time at Memphis but was impressive against Western Kentucky in the Boca Raton Bowl, finishing with five tackles, including two for a loss, and one sack. Gentry was Pennington’s primary backup, but a foot injury prevented him from finishing out the season. Throw a few other new faces into the mix — namely incoming freshman O’Bryan Goodson, junior-college transfer Desmond Hawkins and redshirt freshman John Tate — and you’ve got a promising fall camp position battle. Given his performance at the end of last season, Cooper may have the best chance of starting, but he will likely get equal time in a rotation with Gentry, Hawkins and possibly others.
In 2015, Daniel Montiel caught 10 passes for 155 yards and three touchdowns as the Tigers’ No. 2 tight end. He was a first-team all-conference selection the following year. In 2016, Joey Magnifico caught nine passes for 85 yards and two touchdowns as the Tigers’ No. 2 tight end. Is he in line for a similar rise? The coaching staff is hopeful, but Magnifico first has to earn his spot in the starting lineup by beating out a bevy of up-andcoming players. Sean Dykes showed flashes last year and could push for playing time if he’s able to become more consistent. Kyle Oliver, a former Tennessee signee, redshirted last year. Then you’ve got the three incoming freshmen: Tyce Daniel, Dylan Parham and consensus four-star recruit Nick Robinson. This spot is Magnifico’s to lose in fall camp, but there will be a ton of competition here over the next four weeks and throughout the rest of the season.
Chances are you haven’t thought about this position much over the past four years, simply because Trevor Morgan was so reliable. But there will be a new face here in 2017, and it will likely be a true freshman. The Tigers are expected to have an open competition in camp between Preston Brady and Connor Choate for the job and, if you go by accolades, Choate seems to have the inside track. The No. 7 long-snapping recruit in the country according to ESPN, Choate also was the fifth-ranked snapper in this year’s recruiting class per Kohl’s Kicking Camp, one of the preeminent specialist-training programs in the country. (The two kickers selected in last year’s draft, Jake Elliott and Zane Gonzalez, are both Kohl’s products.) But Brady will have a chance to win the job, too. Or one of them could handle snaps on punts and the other snap for field goals and extra points. Either way, it certainly bears watching.