Norvell upbeat about Tigers’ recruiting

Memphis football coach Mike Norvell relished his third trip to the InnerWorkings Pro-Am at the FedEx St. Jude Classic on Wednesday but also addressed how he and his staff have made early waves in recruiting for the class of 2019.

“I’ve been really pleased with the young men we’ve been able to get on campus. It’s off to a great start,” Norvell said.

As of Thursday morning, Memphis’ 2019 recruiting class was ranked No. 54 on Rivals.com team rankings after getting a commitment this week from three-star tight end Drew Martin of North Little Rock in Arkansas.

Late in the afternoon, the Tigers added a commitment from three-star quarterback Sheldon Layman of McGill-Toolen in Mobile, Ala., and their class ranking jumped to No. 47 on Rivals’ list and first among AAC schools.

Martin and Layman join four-star defensive end and Memphis native Eric Gregory of IMG Academy and three-star defensive tackle Trevis Hopper from Central as players who have committed to the Tigers.

Norvell said Friday that he expects to sign a smaller class next winter due to only eight seniors on this year’s roster.

He added on Wednesday he is more concerned with his staff being selective about who they recruit rather than worrying about outside recruiters in a year where Memphis has a wealth of local talent.

“We have a great football community and the student-athletes we have in this community are going to receive a lot of attention,” Norvell said. “For us, it’s finding the guys that are the right fit for us and we think we’ll get the ones we’re supposed to get.”

Both Hopper and Gregory turned down SEC offers to commit to the Tigers and Hopper was previously committed to Arkansas

On Sunday, the Tigers will host their second annual Big Cat Mega Camp, which is expected to draw close to 1,600 prospects and 160 college coaches from around the country.

Nearly 70 percent of last year’s Signing Day class participated in the camp last year.