National signing day came and went on Wednesday and it's no surprise that The University of Memphis football team's 2006 recruiting class is not considered one of the 10 best in the country.
According to virtually every recruiting service, it's not even one of the 50 best. But that doesn't bother U of M coach Tommy West. He's more than satisfied with his 17 newest Tigers.
"I like them (the recruits) and that's all that matters," he said. "Our (recruiting) classes are never ranked very high but we've done well as far as winning games."
The 17 recruits may be small in number compared to other school's classes, but West said it speaks well for the program and his staff's past recruiting classes. Because they have red-shirted a significant number of players over the last two seasons, West said his staff was able to be selective this time around.
Duke Calhoun, a local product out of Raleigh Egypt, highlights the Tigers' class of 2006. Rivals.com lists him as the No. 33 wide receiver in the nation. At 6'4" and 185 lbs, Calhoun received offers from Arkansas, Tennessee and Ole Miss, among others. He runs a 40-yard dash in 4.4 seconds, speed should give Memphis a wide out capable of getting behind defenses.
"I think he's one of the top wide receivers in the South," West said. "He's so fast and he's got great hands. We needed a guy who can run by you, and he can do that. I think Duke and Graig Cooper (Melrose, signed with Miami) were the top two in the city."
A couple of years ago, West said his staff would have never had a chance at landing a prospect as highly touted as Calhoun. However, Memphis' 24 wins over the last three years and three consecutive bowl appearances have changed all that.
The Tigers also landed Oxford High (Miss.) quarterback Matt Malouf, who chose The U of M over Ole Miss and Southern Miss. Rated as the No. 21 dual threat quarterback by Rivals, Malouf has 4.5 speed and led his high school to an undefeated record in 2005 before losing in the state semifinals. He threw for 2,234 yards and 21 touchdowns.
"I think he's a perfect fit for our system. What separated him for our system was his speed."
The steal of the class, West said, is White Station receiver Curtis Echols. During his junior and senior seasons, he tallied 1,461 receiving yards and scored 26 touchdowns. Like Calhoun, Echols is a speed receiver capable of beating defenses for the deep ball.
"I think that he's one of the best athletes in the city," West said. "He slipped under the radar."
After losing senior linebackers Tim Goodwell and Carlton Baker, Memphis picked up four linebackers on national signing day, including Corderick Govan, the No. 52 rated prospect at the position according to Scout.com. As a senior at Charleston (Cascilla, Miss.) Govan racked up 125 tackles, including 10 tackles for loss and three sacks.
The Tigers also snagged Olive Branch standout linebacker Jeremy Longstreet. He led his team in 2005 with 88 tackles and eight sacks.
Govan and Longstreet are not the prototypical linebackers at 200 pounds, but West said speed was more important to the team at this time.
"I want guys that can run," he said. "They're 190-200 pound guys, but that's okay."
With the absence of Goodwell and Baker, these recruits should expect to compete for playing time right away.
"They're going to have to grow up real quick," West said.
The Tigers also addressed a need at kicker. Matt Reagan will replace All-American kicker Stephen Gostkowski in the fall. Reagan had an 85 percent touchback rate on kick-offs in 2005 and averaged 40.1 yards per punt.
"I'm really excited about our kicker," West said. "He can kick and maybe punt for us."
While West said that he is excited about all of his new recruits, there was one player in particular that he didn't think he was going to get: his son, Turner West.
"At home I asked Turner 'Are you going to come to Memphis?' and he said 'I don't know, dad, I know how you treat those guys,'" West said, smiling.
