Quinn is ready to compete
Memphis is ‘second home’ to quarterback
A week after he announced his commitment to Memphis, quarterback Markevion Quinn was still excited to be part of the Tigers program.
Not only did he look forward to being coached by Mike Norvell, but Memphis was familiar territory to Quinn, who spent last season at Pearl River Community College in Mississippi.
“My mom moved (to Memphis) a couple years ago and I used to go up there every summer to spend time with her,” Quinn said. “I’m just used to being in Memphis so it’s like my second home.”
Quinn, a three-star recruit ranked the No. 2 dual-threat junior college quarterback by 247 Sports, was initially set to be the second quarterback commit in the Tigers’ class of 2019.
After suffering an ACL injury in the spring, he decided to skip his last year at Pearl River and enroll at Memphis for the fall.
“I was going to sit out the year, but there’s no point in me being here when I can enroll and get used to the system so I can compete in the spring,” Quinn said. “I feel like that was best for me because I have an opportunity to win the job.”
He added that Norvell and offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham convinced him their offensive system fit his style. It also helped Quinn ran the same system at Pearl River.
Wide receiver coach Desmond Lindsey was his primary recruiter so Quinn appreciated how Memphis stayed on him, especially after his injury.
“My recruitment process was going slow and I was getting overlooked a lot, but Memphis had faith in me. They committed to me so I might as well commit to them,” said Quinn, who had offers from Arkansas-Pine Bluff, New Mexico and Texas-San Antonio.
Quinn, who is 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds, threw for 943 yards and six
touchdowns and ran for 879 yards and 17 touchdowns last season.
Besides his mother living here, Quinn said Memphis was his dream school but he had to improve his grades after graduating from high school. He carried a 3.42 grade point average last year.
He added that he hoped to be recovered enough by the start of the season to begin working out and developing a bond with the coaches and receivers. But he also embraced the challenge knowing there will be depth ahead of him.
The Tigers have four scholarship quarterbacks, led by junior Brady White and sophomore David Moore. Freshman Connor Adair is coming off his redshirt season, and incoming freshman Brady McBride has enrolled after his prep career in Coppell, Texas. The Tigers also have a commitment from three-star quarterback Sheldon Layman of Mobile, Alabama.
Quinn said the competition doesn’t scare him because he’s always been a competitive person. If anything, it only adds to his excitement being in Memphis and being eager to get back on the field.
“A lot of people want to go where they know they’ll start. I wanted to be somewhere where I know I’d get developed more into a better quarterback,” Quinn said.