Feb. 6, 2008

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MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- The Memphis Tiger football team, which has participated in four bowl games over the past five seasons, enhanced its chances to compete for future Conference USA Championships with the signing of 19 new players during Wednesday's National Signing Day.

"We set out with a goal to fill some very specific needs on our football squad," said head coach Tommy West. "I really believe that we accomplished our goal. We were very limited in the number of scholarships we had to offer and had to be creative in how we put them together.

Memphis signed five players during the month of December. Junior college transfer Arkelon Hall, Steven Joachim and Colton Jenkins signed with the Tigers and enrolled in school in January, as did transfers DajLeon Farr and Derrick Odom. Hall, Joachim and Jenkins all come from the junior college ranks, while Farr transferred from the University of Miami and Odom from LSU. They will all participate with the Tigers during spring practice.

"December was a big key for us," West stated. "We put together an outstanding class during that period and just continued to build on that class as we moved toward National Signing Day. I am really excited about how we improved this football team."

The Tigers were indeed successful in the Memphis/Mid-South area landing five outstanding prep recruits. Wide receivers Marcus Hightower and Marcus Rucker from Whitehaven High, as well as linebacker Ricky Holloway from Fayette-Ware High, Dontari Poe, a defensive lineman from Wooddale High and Donald Law, a tight end from Hamilton High.

In total, 11 offensive players inked with Memphis, including junior college quarterback Hall, wide receivers Curtis Johnson, Joachim, Hightower and Rucker and running backs Brandon Ross and Greg Ray. The offensive front was solidified with tight ends Law and Farr and offensive linemen Kindly Jacques and Larry Landry.

Memphis bolstered its defensive front with the addition of defensive linemen Colton, Poe and Frank Trotter of Mobile, Ala., and defensive end Demetrius Culpepper from East Mississippi Community College. Holloway and Odom are both slated to work as inside linebackers, while defensive backs Clay Lee and Mike Shepard round out the 2008 class. Lee is from Orlando, Fla., and Shepard played for Citronelle High in Alabama.

2008 Memphis Signing Class

* Mid-Year Transfers

Demetrius Culpepper (DE, 6-5, 245, Jr.-TR, Alexander City, Ala./Benjamin Russell HS/East Miss. CC)
Rejoins former East Mississippi Community College teammate Steven Black who will be a senior receiver for the Tigers this fall...Full-time starter as a freshman at EMCC...Made 19 tackles with 18 solo stops in 2006 and had six sacks for a loss of 19 yards...One of the nation's top 20 junior college defensive end prospects according to Scout.com...Listed as a Top 25 Junior College Prospect by the Sun Herald...Prepped at Benjamin Russell High...Registered 14 sacks as a senior... Logged a team-high 23 sacks and 74 tackles as a junior at BRHS...Rated as the 35th-best defensive end prospect by Rivals.com coming out of high school...Four-star recruit according to Scout.com...Originally signed with Louisville in February 2006 before heading to East Mississippi CC.

DajLeon Farr (TE, 6-5, 252, Sr.-TR, Houston, Texas/North Shore HS/Univ. of Miami)
Transferred to Memphis in January and will participate with the Tigers during spring workouts...Played in 29 career games at Miami as a tight end with two starts...Was on the John Mackey Award watch list (top tight end) in 2007...Has 10 career catches for 134 yards and three touchdowns...As a junior in 2007, caught six passes for 104 yards and three touchdowns in 11 games with four starts...Averaged 17.3 yards per reception...Caught a 26-yard touchdown pass against Florida State thrown by the Miami's place kicker on a fake field goal...Also caught touchdowns against Marshall and Duke...Had a career high 33-yard TD reception against Duke...Played in 12 games as a sophomore in 2006, making two starts...Caught three passes for 16 yards and also played on special teams...Started against North Carolina and Georgia Tech...Saw action in six games as a true freshman in 2005...Prepped at North Shore High School in Houston, Texas...Also played defensive end in high school...As a senior at North Shore, caught four passes for 160 yards...Caught seven passes as a junior for 166 yards, including a 55-yard touchdown...Played in the Army All-American Bowl...Selected to the PrepStar Top 100 Dream Team...Rates as the No. 3 tight end and No. 28 overall prospect by Scout.com, and the No. 3 tight end and No. 55 overall prospect by Rivals.com...Coached at North Shore by David Aymond...Also lettered four years in track and field.

Arkelon Hall (QB, 6-3, 220, Jr.-TR, Fresno, Calif./ Edison High /College of the Sequoias)
Signed with the Tigers in December and is enrolled at the U of M...Will work out with the squad this spring...Played one season for coach Curtis Allen at College of the Sequoias in Visalia, Calif., after transferring from Washington State...Former teammate of Kindly Jacques and Larry Landry who both signed with Memphis today...Passed for 2,398 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2007...Averaged 239.8 yards per game and completed 53.1 percent of his passing attempts while also running for five touchdowns and 144 yards in 2007... Threw for more than 300 yards in his final two games at COS, including a 350-yard effort in a 59-57 loss to Sierra in the final game of the season...Listed by Rivals.com as one of the top 100 junior college prospects in the country...Rated as the nation's No. 8 quarterback prospect by ESPN.com after throwing for 56 touchdowns and nearly 5,000 yards in two years as a starter for Edison High ...Signed with Washington State out of high school and redshirted in 2005 at WSU. ...Broke his leg in a preseason scrimmage in 2006 and later transferred to the College of the Sequoias..., Was invited to participate in the 2004 EA SPORTS Elite 11 Quarterback Camp and Competition...Rated as a four-star athlete by Scout.com... and was also ranked No. 81 in the ESPN Top 100 Players in America.

Marcus Hightower (WR , 6-2, 180, Memphis, Tenn./Whitehaven HS)
Coached by Rodney Saulsberry at Whitehaven High...Was a versatile athlete for the Tigers who played running back, flanker, slot receiver, defensive back and was a return specialist...Named a Commercial Appeal Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 4, 2007 after rushing for 126 yards two touchdowns on 17 carries versus Fairley...Also threw a 30-yard touchdown pass and snagged an interception in the 35-6 win...Earned Offensive Player of the Week honors again on Oct. 16, 2007 after rolling off 251 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries in the Tigers' 32-6 Region 8-5A win over previously-undefeated Houston High...Tallied 194 of his 251 yards in the second half...Had touchdown runs of 53 and 80 yards as well as a 39-yard kickoff return against Houston...Was a 2007 All-Region 8-5A selection...Tabbed by the Memphis Commercial Appeal as a Shelby-Metro Most Wanted prospect in 2007...Named to the 2007 MIAA 4A-5A Best of the Preps Team by the Commercial Appeal...Selected to the 5A All-State team by the Tennessee Football Coaches Association...Helped squad to a 10-2 record and an appearance in the state playoffs...Whitehaven ranked No. 4 in the final Commercial Appeal Dandy Dozen poll...Invited to participate in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl High School all-star game...Returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown in a win over Collierville High in 2006...Ran track at WHS and was on the 4x100 and 4x200 relay teams as a freshman.

Maurice Holloway (DL, 6-7, 300, Fr.-HS, Sanford, Fla./Lake Highland Prep)
Played one season for former Memphis letterman Tim Borcky at Lake Highland Preparatory School in Orlando, Fla....Listed as a three-star prospect according to Rivals.com...Lettered in 2006 as a senior at Lake Highland after transferring from Seminole High...Helped his squad to a playoff berth in 2006...Finished his senior season with 39 tackles, 23 of which were for lost yardage...Tallied three sacks and three fumble recoveries and was named first-team All-District in 2006...Was selected as the team's Best Defensive Lineman...Participated in the Central Florida All-Star Game...Also lettered in basketball, track and volleyball at both Lake Highland and Seminole High...Earned three letters on the football team at SHS and was named All-Conference as a sophomore and All-District as a junior...Tabbed by Rivals.com as one of the Top 100 prospects in Florida.

Ricky Holloway (LB, 6-2, 225, Fr.-HS, Somerville, Tenn./Fayette-Ware HS)
Played four seasons for coach Tim Thompson at Fayette-Ware High School...Ranked as the No. 34 senior middle linebacker prospect nationally by Scout.com...Listed as the 11th-best senior prospect in Tennessee and the No. 60 outside linebacker prospect nationally by Rivals.com...Rated as a three-star athlete by Rivals.com...Two-time All-Metro selection by The Commercial Appeal...Registered 150 tackles, 10 sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception in 2007...Also returned a fumble for a touchdown as a senior...Helped the Wildcats to a 7-5 overall record and a 4-1 record in Region 6-3A in 2007...Squad won the 6-3A league title in 2007 and had consecutive playoff appearances in 2006 and 2007...Selected to participate in the first Toyota East vs. West Tennessee All-Star Classic...Named first-team All-State by the Tennessee Sports Writers Association and was the Region 6-3A Player of the Year as a senior...Averaged nearly 12 tackles per game in 2007...Named team's defensive player of the week twice as a senior...Earned the honor after a 12-tackle effort versus Chester County and again following the win over Lexington that sealed the league championship...Posted 13 tackles and two sacks against Bolivar High...Named to All-Mid-South Team by Fox13 TV in Memphis...Registered double-digit tackles in several contests and was selected as Fayette-Ware's co-Defensive Player of the Year...Tabbed by Tennessee Football Magazine as a Phenom 32 all-state honoree...Was a first-team pick on the 6-3A all-league team...Was a first-team selection to the Nashville Tennessean Top 24 team...Tabbed by the Memphis Commercial Appeal as a Shelby-Metro Most Wanted prospect in 2007...Also named all-state, all-region and all-district as a junior...Had 81 tackles, including 14 for lost yardage in 2006...Also credited with 13 sacks as a junior.

Kindly Jacques (OL, 6-7, 325, Jr.-TR, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla./Stranahan HS/College of the Sequoias)
Played two seasons for coach Curtis Allen at College of the Sequoias in Visalia, Calif....Teammate of Arkelon Hall who signed with the Tigers in December and Larry Landry who inked with Memphis today...Was part of an offensive line that helped the Giants amass 3,819 yards of total offense in 2007...Helped protect Hall, who totaled 2,398 yards and 13 passing touchdowns...Helped 2006 team to a 7-3 record as the Giants averaged 412 yards of total offense...Squad also averaged 32.9 points per game in 2006...Prepped at Stranahan High School in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla....Signed with Connecticut out of high school...Named second-team All-Broward County by the Miami Herald...Participated in the Dade-Broward All-Star game...Tabbed as a BCAA Sun Sentinel All-Star.

Colton Jenkins (DL, 6-6, 290, So.-TR, Winona, Miss./Winona Secondary/Holmes CC)
Signed with the Tigers in December and is enrolled at the U of M...Will work out with the squad this spring...Played one season at Holmes Community College...Started five games in 2007 before being sidelined with a shoulder injury...Was listed as a Top 25 Junior College Prospect by the Sun Herald...Lettered three seasons at Winona Secondary School, playing on both sides of the ball as a senior...Ranked among the top 60 offensive linemen in the Southeast by PrepStar recruiting magazine in its season-ending yearbook...Was also listed as the No. 18 prospect and the fourth-best offensive lineman in Mississippi by Rivals.com...Rated as a three-star athlete by Rivals.com...Registered 80 tackles and three sacks while playing defensive end...Graded out at 82 percent as a member of the offensive line en route to being named first-team All-State for Class 3A...Was invited to play in the Mississippi All-Star Football Classic...Originally signed with Mississippi State out in February 2007.

Steven Joachim (WR, 6-4, 205, Miami, Fla., Jr.-TR, /North Miami Senior HS/Mendocino College)
Signed with the Tigers in December and is enrolled at the U of M...Will work out with the squad this spring...Played two seasons for coach Tom Gang at Mendocino College in Ukiah, Calif. ....Earned first-team All-Bay Valley Conference honors in 2006 and 2007...In 17 career games with Mendocino, totaled 79 receptions for 1,076 yards and 13 touchdowns as well as four 100-yard receiving games...Helped squad to an 8-3 overall record and a Bay Valley Conference championship in 2007 after ranking second on the team in receptions with 50 for 627 yards...Led the Eagles in touchdown catches with nine, while also ranking third on the team in scoring with 64 points...Closed out the 2007 season with nine receptions for a season-high 121 yards and a touchdown against Cabrillo College in the Capital Shrine Bowl...Led his squad in receiving yards as a freshman in 2006 with 433 yards on 27 receptions...Averaged 16.0 yards per catch and hauled in four touchdowns in 2006...Finished his freshman season ranked third on the team in scoring with 26 points, which included one two-point conversion...Prepped at North Miami Senior High...Brother, Sergiori Joachim, is a senior wide receiver at UCF.

Curtis Johnson (WR, 6-0, 182, Fr.-HS, Miami, Fla./Coral Gables HS)
Played for coach Joe Montoya at Coral Gables High...Played several positions including quarterback, receiver, defensive back and was a return specialist...Earned All-Dade second-team honors his junior and senior seasons...Registered 21 catches for 528 yards and six touchdowns in 2007...Recorded a season-long run of 70 yards...Also played on special teams as a kickoff and punt returner...Averaged 19.3 yards per punt return as a senior and returned two for touchdowns...Averaged 31 yards per kick return with three touchdowns...Served as the team captain as a junior and co-captain as a senior...Was the team's Offensive Most Valuable Player in 2006...Helped his team to a 9-2 record as a senior and caught a touchdown pass in the state playoffs...Tallied 100 all-purpose yards and a touchdown in the first round of the state playoffs against No. 1-ranked Miami Northwestern Senior High...Selected to play in the North vs. South All-Star game.

Larry Landry (OL, 6-3, 285, New Orleans, La./John Ehret HS/College of the Sequoias)
Played one season for coach Curtis Allen at College of the Sequoias in Visalia, Calif....Teammate of Arkelon Hall who signed with the Tigers in December and Kindly Jacques who inked with Memphis today...Was part of an offensive line that helped the Giants amass 3,819 yards of total offense in 2007...Named to the SoCal All-Combine Team in the preseason...Transferred to COS from Ranger Junior College in Texas when the school dropped its football program...Lettered at John Ehret High in New Orleans...Family was forced to relocate after Hurricane Katrina.

Donald Law (TE, 6-5, 260, Memphis, Tenn./Hamilton HS)
Earned three letters for coach Thurston Rubin at Hamilton High...Worked primarily on the offensive and defensive lines and as a tight end...Had a top game against Fayette-Ware with six catches for 97 yards and a touchdown...Selected to participate in the first Toyota East vs. West Tennessee All-Star Classic... Named to the 2007 MIAA 4A-5A Best of the Preps Team by the Commercial Appeal ...Caught 36 passes for 370 yards and three touchdowns as a senior...Played left tackle the first six games of his junior season before moving to tight end...Lettered two years in basketball and four years in baseball at HHS...Helped the 2005 basketball squad to a 39-0 record and a state championship...Worked at first and third as well as pitcher and catcher...Was also a Best of the Preps All-Metro pick in baseball in 2007.

Clay Lee (DB, 6-1, 215, Fr.-HS, Orlando, Fla./Dr. Phillips HS)
Played for coach Kevin Pettus at Dr. Phillips High...Finished the 10-game regular season as one of the leading tacklers in the greater Orlando area with 110, which included 53 solo stops...Also had one interception in 2007, which was returned for a touchdown...Named to Friday Night Football All-Central Florida team following his senior season...Is the second-leading tackler in school history...Led the Panthers as a junior with 100 tackles and an interception...Helped the 2006 squad to a district championship... Set a school record with 20 tackles against Boone High in the district championship and received the Central Florida Defensive Player of the Week award...Relocated to the Orlando area from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

Derrick Odom (LB, 6-2, 202, Jackson, Miss./Callaway HS/LSU)
Transferred to Memphis in January and will work out with the Tigers this spring...Redshirted as a true freshman for the LSU Tigers in 2006...Was one of the top linebacker prospects in the nation at Callaway High School in Jackson, Miss under coach Gerry Anderson...Tallied 100 tackles, 12 sacks, 12 forced fumbles and two defensive touchdowns as a junior en route to the Class 4A playoffs...Named to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Super Southern 100, the Jackson Clarion-Ledger Andy Dozen, and the Mobile Register Super Southeast 120...First-team all-district and all-metro as a senior in 2005.

Dontari Poe (DT, 6-3, 315, Memphis, Tenn./Wooddale HS)
Played for coach Jesse Allen at Wooddale High...Rated No. 19 among Top 20 prospects in Tennessee by Rivals.com...Selected to participate in the first-ever Toyota East vs. West Tennessee All-Star Classic in 2007...Tabbed by Tennessee Football Magazine as a Phenom 32 all-state honoree...Named to the 2007 MIAA 4A-5A Best of the Preps Team by the Commercial Appeal... Credited with 63 tackles and eight sacks as a junior...Was also a Best of the Preps All-Metro selection in track as a junior...Earned the shot put title for Class 3-A at the state meet with a throw of 56-3.25 as a junior.

Greg Ray (RB, 5-10, 205, Jr.-TR, Los Angeles, Calif./ Westchester HS/El Camino CC)
Played two seasons for coach John Featherstone at El Camino Community College in Torrance, Calif....Played in six games in 2007 as El Camino finished the season with an 8-2 overall record and a 4-0 record in the Mission Conference American Division...El Camino repeated as Mission Conference champions, but lost in the first round of the playoffs...Missed part of the season with a hamstring injury...Rushed for 165 yards and one touchdown on 20 carries as a sophomore...Registered a long run of 73 yards...Ranked sixth on the team in total offense...Played in 10 games as a freshman in 2006...Logged 122 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries as a freshman...El Camino went 12-2 and won the California Junior College title in 2006...Also caught a pass of 13 yards and made a kickoff return of 13 yards in 2006...Had a season-high eight carries for 93 yards and two touchdowns in a 31-0 win over Golden West...Played for coach David Williams at Westchester High in Los Angeles...Played running back in high school and was also a member of the basketball and track and field teams...Grandfather, Melvin Easley, lives in Memphis.

Brandon Ross (RB, 6-0, 205, Auburn, Ala./Auburn HS)
Played for coach Tim Carter at Auburn High...Considered a powerful and speedy running back...Helped his 2007 squad reach the state class 6A playoffs...Tallied 1,275 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior...Rushed 21 times for 197 yards and two touchdowns in a 35-21 win over Phenix Central High...Had 119 yards in just the first half of that game and sealed the win with a 53-yard touchdown run...Also logged a 59-yard touchdown run against Central...Registered a season-high 90-yard touchdown run versus Wetumpka High...Rolled off a 27-yard touchdown run to help his Auburn High Tigers defeat Region I runners-up Theodore High...Transferred from Booker T. Washington High in Tuskegee, Ala., prior to his junior season.

Marcus Rucker (WR, 6-3, 180, Fr.-HS, Memphis, Tenn./Whitehaven HS)
Played for coach Rodney Saulsberry at Whitehaven High...Helped squad to a 10-2 record and an appearance in the state playoffs...Caught two touchdown passes of 41 yards and 20 yards in the Class 5A playoff win over Ridgeway...Had hauled in touchdown receptions of 48 and 40 yards earlier in the year in a win over Collierville...Tabbed by the Memphis Commercial Appeal as a Shelby-Metro Most Wanted prospect in 2007...Invited to participate in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl High School All-Star game...Named to the 2007 MIAA 4A-5A Best of the Preps Team by the Commercial Appeal...Rated as a three-star athlete by Rivals.com...Caught a 61-yard pass against Collierville HS as a junior...Helped team to a 6-4 overall record and a 4-3 record in the region in 2006...Averages over 15 points a game for the WHS basketball team...Was named All-Metro Class 3-A in track as a junior.

Mike Shepard (DB, 6-2, 205, Fr.-HS, Citronelle, Ala./Citronelle HS)
Lettered three seasons for coach Eddie Stephenson at Citronelle High...Played linebacker and safety...Credited with 100 tackles, including 11 TFL in 2007...Also registered four interceptions, four fumble recoveries and nine pass breakups...Blocked two kicks as a senior and scored four touchdowns for CHS...Earned first-team all-state and all-region honors in 2007...Voted the team's Defensive Most Valuable Player...Was the second-leading tackler for CHS in 2006 with 67 stops...Picked off four passes as a junior...Named second-team all-region in 2006...Named Newcomer of the Year for CHS...Also a three-year letterman for the CHS basketball team...Averages 21 points and is the squad's leading rebounder.

Frank Trotter (DT, 6-2, 260, Mobile, Ala./John LeFlore HS)
Lettered four seasons at John LeFlore High for coach Greg Quinney...Worked as a member of both the offensive and defensive lines...Was a starter on both offense and defense...Registered 68 tackles, three sacks and two fumble recoveries as a senior...Voted the team's Lineman of the Year in 2007...Selected as a Mobile Press Register Player of the Week twice in his career...Received the Iron Man Award for 2007...Tabbed as the Most Improved Defensive player in 2005...Finished his prep career with 139 tackles, nine sacks and five fumbles...Helped his 2004 squad to a region championship.

D.A. Griffin (DB, 5-11, 185, Millbrook, Ala./Stanhope Elmore HS/Itawamba CC)
Signed with the Tigers in mid-March...Lettered two seasons as a wide receiver and kick returner for coach Jeff Terrill at Itawamba Community College...Had his 2007 season cut short when he broke his sternum in the second game of the season versus Co-Lin...Caught a game-high eight passes for 110 yards before leaving the game...ICC finished the season at 8-2 and advanced to the MACJC playoffs for the fourth straight season...Totaled 15 receptions for 146 yards and a touchdown in his first two games...Played in seven games as a freshman at Itawamba and was in the top 10 nationally in receiving yards...Was named an honorable mention All-American and was an all-state honoree while at ICC. Ended the 2006 season with 25 receptions for 331 yards and a touchdown...Prepped at Stanhope Elmore High School...Was a four-year starter as a receiver and defensive back...Squad advanced to the state semifinals twice...Was an all-state and all-metro honoree...Also played baseball at SEHS and helped his squad to a state championship his senior season...Was an all-state pick as an outfielder.

Cory Lattimore(LB, 6-1, 220, Miami, Fla./South Dade HS/El Camino CC)

Signed with the Tigers late in the spring...Lettered one season for coach John Featherstone at El Camino Community College after transferring from Northwest Mississippi Community College...Joins teammate Greg Ray who signed with the U of M in February...Was a unanimous first-team Mission Conference pick following the 2007 season in which he tallied 96 tackles...Credited with two sacks, five quarterback hurries and an interception in 2007...Totaled 10 or more tackles in five games as a sophomore...Registered a season-high 18 tackles against Saddleback CC...Led his squad in tackles with 10 versus Bakersfield...Logged an interception and a return of 18 yards against Long Beach CC...Tallied 12 tackles against Golden West College...Closed out the season with 17 tackles, including three TFL for minus 13 yards, in a 42-41 overtime loss to Moorpark...Helped El Camino to an 8-2 season record and a 4-0 record in the Mission Conference...Played the 2005 season at Northwest Miss. CC and registered 62 tackles, including 41 solo stops...Also tallied two sacks and three forced fumbles at Northwest...Prepped at South Dade High in Miami.