What Memphis high school football coaches think about Tigers' recruiting of city talent
Memphis football's open week has led to introspection and inspection amidst a three-game losing streak. But it also means more time on the recruiting trail.
The coaching staff will check in with high school commitments this weekend as well as scout potential talent. As of Friday, the Tigers’ 2023 class is on pace to be a third consecutive top-60 class under coach Ryan Silverfield.
The class is ranked 59th in the 247Sports Composite and third in the American Athletic Conference behind Cincinnati and UCF. However, the class has zero commitments from Memphis-area high school players.
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If that holds, it would be the first time that’s happened since 247Sports began tracking recruiting in 1999. Since the start of the 2020-21 recruiting cycle, Memphis has signed just three local prep players: Greg Rubin (White Station), Brandon Warner (Ridgeway) and Tevin Carter (PURE Academy).
Despite that, several area high school coaches remain positive on how the Tigers and Silverfield are recruiting Memphis. Whitehaven coach Rodney Saulsberry noted the Tigers have an open door policy, in which coaches can observe practice with players or bring them to games.
“I think they’re doing their due diligence having camps and things in the area where you’re canvassing and looking for the talent,” Saulsberry said. “So they’re doing a good job hosting camps but obviously, selfishly, you want more kids from home on the team.”
Ridgeway coach Deron Sutton also agreed that Memphis has done well forming relationships with schools but added the talent this season might not be as plentiful as years past. Part of it stems from the COVID-19 pandemic; local players lost a year of development after Memphis-Shelby County Schools elected not to play fall or winter sports in the 2020-21 school year.
According to 247Sports, only six Memphis-area players – including Covington’s A.C. Mason-Young – are among Tennessee’s 50 highest-rated recruits for the Class of 2023. That’s a change from the 2019-20 recruiting cycle, when Memphis had six players in the top 15 of the rankings.
Sutton, a former Memphis player, understands that if the Tigers' coaches don't see the players they want, they’ll look at other states or regions to fill the void.
“I think it’s one of those things where you’re still coming off some of the effects of COVID around this way,” Sutton said. “A lot of kids are just really getting back in the swing of things so I think next year, there’ll be more of an opportunity for some kids to get recruited by the university.
Silverfield added recruiting the city has been a challenge since running backs coach Anthony Jones, a former high school coach in Memphis, was hired by TCU this spring. Sean Dawkins was hired to succeed Jones and is now the main recruiter for Memphis. Silverfield has helped in the area while introducing Dawkins to coaches through clinics and camps.
Although the Tigers have five commitments from other parts of Tennessee, Memphis remains a priority.
“We’ve done a good job in middle Tennessee and we’re going to continue to dip down in north Mississippi but this city with the talent level that it is and the ability we’ve had to have success bringing those guys in, we’re going to constantly look at it,” Silverfield said.
The Tigers also have thrived getting Memphis natives through the transfer portal, such as Kylan Watkins and current contributors CorMontae Hamilton and Cincir Evans. Yet some coaches think the Tigers can do more.
MASE coach Cedric Miller, whose son Cameron signed as a four-star receiver with Tennessee last season, said the staff could have a stronger presence with highly ranked local recruits with Power Five offers. He thinks Memphis can also be more visible with recruits in the 2024 and 2025 classes to show they’re a priority.
“I just think, sometimes, we got to build a fence around Memphis if we want to compete on a high level,” said Miller, who played for the Tigers in the 1990s. “We have to build a fence and show the kids that we really love them. You got to be in consistent contact with the kids whatever the time allows you and I don’t think we’ve done a great job of staying consistent.”
The SEC and other Power Five schools have always made it tough for Memphis to land the city’s top talent. Since the 2012-13 cycle, the Tigers’ highest number of local players in a class is four.
Memphis also has to worry if offering a player sends a signal for bigger schools to swoop in. That’s the case with the Tigers’ top 2023 commitment in Smyrna running back/linebacker Arion Carter.
Carter was a three-star recruit when he committed to the Tigers in July. But since mid-September, he’s now a four-star recruit with offers from at least 16 Power Five schools, including Alabama, Tennessee and Ohio State.
Carter remains committed to Memphis but has visits lined up with Alabama, Tennessee, Ohio State and LSU. He plans to sign during the early signing period in December and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he changed his mind.
The Tigers’ approach with Carter can be repeated locally, some coaches think. Saulsberry and Miller agreed if coaches make early progress identifying recruits, it’ll help establish Memphis when bigger schools come calling later in the process.
“Once a kid starts getting offers of that caliber, the thing you got to have that you can sell is that you’re the home team. I saw you first or I gave you your first offer. All those things matter,” Saulsberry said.
That’s the challenge facing Silverfield and his staff. They’ve built another promising class, but without any Memphis commitments, the staff has work harder to show that home matters not just now, but in later classes.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis football: Recruiting of local high schools becomes tough task
