Memphis pursues prep TE
It has been a busy summer for Madison Central senior tight end Blake Gunter. It took over a year, but the NCAA recruiting dead period caused by the COVID-19 pandemic finally ended and allowed prospects to take in-person visits June 1.
"It was chaos from there," Gunter said. "It was visits, camps and just a busy June. It was a lot of fun, but it was really busy."
Some of the campuses he visited were Tulane, LSU, Ole Miss, TCU, Southern Miss and Memphis among others. Gunter said Arkansas, Memphis, Southern Miss, Tennessee and Tulane are currently recruiting him the hardest.
"I actually haven't released a top school as of now, but I'd probably say Arkansas, Tulane, Southern Miss, Memphis - those are some of the schools that I'm keeping in mind the most," Gunter said.
At 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds, Gunter is a three-star recruit and the No. 18 senior in Mississippi, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.
But with summer in the rear view, Gunter said he expects to have fun this upcoming season in the Jaguars' new offense.
Madison Central brought Toby Collums from Northwest Rankin to take over as its coach. Last season, Collums and the Cougars had a surprising 9-4 season and had two playoff wins.
"His work ethic's unparalleled," Collums said of Gunter. "Whether it's on the field or in the weight room, whatever he's doing, he's doing it full speed. I don't know where he's going to play next year, but he's going to play at a high level."
Madison Central is set to open the season Aug. 27 at home against West Jones.
Contact Rashad Milligan at 601-8626198 or Jmilligan@gannett.com. Follow @Rashadmilligan on Twitter.