Memphis football QB Peter Parrish no longer with team

Memphis quarterback Peter Parrish is no longer with the team, an athletics spokesperson confirmed to The Commercial Appeal Thursday.

Parrish is not listed on the Tigers' spring roster and did not enroll in classes this week. A reason was not given for his departure, and he is not listed in the transfer portal.

On his Instagram story feed, he re-shared a story from another person showing him in a locker room with a location tag in Mississippi. The tag did not say what school he was at.

Parrish started one game last season, a 24-7 loss to Central Florida, after Seth Henigan suffered an injury against Navy.

Parrish transferred to Memphis from LSU before the 2020 season. His departure means the Tigers have just three scholarship quarterbacks in Henigan, Grant Gunnell and incoming freshman Tevin Carter. Walk-on Hunter Hulsey is also on the team.

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Freshman Keilon Brown, who was listed as Henigan's backup to start last season, transferred in October and is now at Georgia State.

Parrish opened preseason practice as the fourth-string quarterback and appeared in three games. He only recorded stats in his lone start where he threw for 215 yards on 31-of-48 passing and ran for 60 yards.

The Tigers' seven points against UCF was their fewest in a game since losing 24-3 against Ole Miss in 2014. They also averaged just 3.7 yards per play, the lowest for a Memphis game since averaging 3.01 yards at the 2015 Birmingham Bowl against Auburn.

It was Parrish's first start since he was a high school senior in 2018 and he was the first Black quarterback to start for Memphis since 2011. He did not play in 2020 nor in 2019 with LSU.

Parrish's departure puts more pressure on the quarterbacks to remain healthy. Gunnell's season-ending injury last preseason opened the door for Henigan to start as a true freshman.

Now with Parrish gone, the Tigers are hurting for depth at their most important position. Henigan will enter spring practice as the starter but a battle could emerge with new offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey implementing his system.

Both Henigan and Gunnell, who transferred from Arizona after the 2020 season, each have three seasons of eligibility remaining. Carter, a three-star recruit from PURE Youth Academy, will be third-string behind them unless the Tigers seek to add another quarterback through the portal.

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You can reach Evan Barnes on Twitter (@Evan_B) or by email at evan.barnes@commercialappeal.com

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis football QB Peter Parrish no longer with team