How Tigers’ 2019 class stands before signing day
National signing day Wednesday won’t bring too many surprises for Memphis football.
Tigers coach Mike Norvell and his staff signed 15 players in December during the early signing period, so the focus has been on shoring up final needs for 2019 while also looking ahead to 2020.
Still, there are a few things to watch for on Wednesday.
Remaining commitments
Memphis gained two commitments over the weekend from three-star defensive back Austin Jones (New Orleans) and defensive tackle Kajuan Robinson (Bryant, Arkansas).
Robinson is a key get for the Tigers given their need to shore up their interior defensive line. Those two are expected to sign along with longtime commitments linebacker Ja’len Sims (Birmingham, Alabama), receiver Cameron Baker (Germantown), athlete Jashon Watkins (East Nashville), receiver Javon Ivory (Grove Hill, Alabama) and offensive lineman Trevis Hopper (Central).
Three-star athlete CJ Johnson (Greenwood, Mississippi) was committed to Memphis but flipped to Louisiana Tech over the weekend.
This will be a small recruiting class because the Tigers have only a few seniors graduating. Norvell said he sent out 16 letters of intent in December and
received all of them, including one player who wanted to wait to announce his signing Wednesday and Auburn graduate transfer John Broussard Jr.
Who else is Memphis targeting?
Norvell and his staff have pushed hard on a pair of Louisiana targets in wide receiver Dywan Griffin and safety Charvis Thornton, both three-star recruits.
Griffin, who is 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds, visited Memphis over the weekend, and the Tigers are among his final four schools, along with Tennessee. Thornton committed to Louisiana Tech in December, but Memphis has remained in the hunt for him.
Some intrigue came on Monday when Southwind defensive lineman Kristian Williams decommitted from Minnesota. Williams, a four-star recruit, took an unofficial visit to Memphis this weekend.
However, Oregon and Indiana remain in play for Williams; he took an official visit to Oregon on Jan. 26. It’s a long shot for Memphis but adds some intrigue for the next few days.
Where does Memphis’ 2019 recruiting class rank?
As of Monday, the Tigers’ class ranked 62nd in the nation and second among AAC teams behind Central Florida, according to the 247Sports composite rankings. It was ranked 59th after the early signing period.
The Tigers’ 2017 class also ranked second in the AAC and was ranked 56th in the country, which was Memphis’ highest-ranked class since 247Sports began compiling rankings in 2002.
All but one of Memphis’ remaining commitments is listed as a three-star recruit; the class has an average 247Sports rating of .8374. That’s the highest for Memphis since the site began tracking recruiting classes.
Although Memphis signed 15 players during the December signing period, Broussard doesn’t count toward 247’s rankings because he is a transfer from a four-year school.
Broussard is one of seven players who signed and enrolled early for classes along with tight end Drew Martin, offensive lineman Matt Dale, defensive back Gabe Rogers and defensive linemen Everitt Cunningham, Wardalis Ducksworth and Cole Mashburn.
Follow Tigers football beat writer Evan Barnes on Twitter (@Evan_b) or email him at evan.barnes@commercialappeal.com.