2001 Diary
an all-state defensive end from Newport News,Virginia, Mario Loiacono, a lineman from Rummel, Louisiana and Jake Finlayson, a tight end from Selmer,Tennessee. January 20, 2001 Fifteen Tiger football recruits enjoyed dinner at The Rendezvous and then traveled a few blocks to the banks of the Mississippi River to watch the Memphis basketball team defeat Houston in The Pyramid. Included in the group were defensive linemen Shakorr Bryant and Greg Billingslea and offensive linemen Andrew Handy and Gene Frederic.
TIGER DIARY
January 21, 2001 The Memphis football recruiting train continued to roll as Shakorr Bryant and Greg Billingslea committed to play for the Tigers in 2001. Bryant is a 6-3, 245 pound defensive end from Middle Georgia College and Billingslea is a 6-3, 245 pound high school lineman from Tucker, Georgia. Bryant was a teammate of Dante Brown and Eric Anderson, two additional Memphis recruits, who helped lead Middle Georgia to a fifth place in the national standings.
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January 22, 2001 MarcusWest, an all-state defensive end from Columbus, Mississippi, has committed to play for theTigers. West, who was heavily recruits by Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Southern Mississippi, canceled his visit to Mississippi State. Former Memphis offensive lineman John “Jumbo” Evans, who was inducted into the M Club Hall of Fame in 1998, died at his home in Brier Hill, Pennsylvania. Evans played for the Tigers in the early 1960s under former head coach Billy J. Murphy. January 23, 2001 The Tigers gained two additional football commitments when James Corder and SheldonTaylor both announced thattheywouldattendtheUniversityofMemphis.Corder is a 6’7, 305 pound offensive lineman from Nashville, Tennessee. He led his Christ PresbyterianAcademy to a 15-0 record and theTennessee Class 1Achampionship. Taylor, a 6’2, 220 pound linebacker from Trezevant High School in Memphis, had 100 tackles and nine quarterback sacks during the 2000 season. In 1999, he teamed with newly signed Memphisdefensivelineman Albert Means to lead Trezevant to the state playoffs. January 24, 2001 The Tiger football program continued its strong recruiting performance when Greg Billingslea and Cameron Essex made their
commitments to the U of M official. Billingslea was used as a blocking fullback at Tucker High School in Georgia but will work as an offensive lineman for the Tigers. EssexisadefensivebackwhohelpedinSouthwestDeKalb High team to a 12-1 record in 1999. January 25, 2001 The University of Memphis football staff reached into Middle Georgia College (JC) and plucked three top prospects including tailback Dante Brown, who had signed with Tommy West at Clemson before enrolling in junior college. Also committing to the Tigers were Brown’s teammates Eric Anderson, an offensive lineman and Shakorr Bryant, a defensive lineman. Brown is a former USAToday All-American who rushed for over 1,400 yards as a senior in high school. January 26, 2001 The Tiger football staff will welcome six prospects to campus in what might be the final recruiting weekend of the season. Included in the group of six are linebacker B.J.DeanofTuscaloosa,Alabama,defensivebacksTristan Thomas of Marietta, Georgia, Eric Oliver of Jasper, Alabama and Lionel Pieh of Cordova High in Memphis. Also visiting officially are Stanford Rhule, a linebacker from Dillard High in Miami, Florida and Kevin Steltz, a fullback from New Orleans, Louisiana. January 27, 2001 B.J. Dean, one of the most highly recruited linebackers in the South, arrived for his official visit to Memphis. Dean, who had committed to Florida State last summer, arrived late due to a conflict with an indoor track meet in his hometown of Tuscaloosa, Alabama. January 29, 2001 Tristan Thomas, a defensive back from Marietta High School in Marietta, Georgia, committed to play for the Tigers. Thomas is the 17th commitment for Tommy West and his staff. January 30, 2001 The Tigers continued their recruiting landslide when MemphisEastHighquarterbackLaDariusPriceannounced that he would sign with Memphis on national signing day. Price, who wants to play receiver in college, said that he could see duty as a quarterback and receiver if it would help the team. Price is the 18th commitment for the U of M this winter. January 31, 2001 The Tigers picked up their 19th commitment of the footballsigningperiodwhendefensivetackleTonyBonds announced that he had chosen Memphis over Southern Mississippi and Ole Miss. Bonds, a native of Russellville, Alabama, recorded over 50 tackles during the 2000 foot132
ball season. Head coach Tommy West was in Miami, FL, visiting the home of offensive lineman Andrew Handy. February 1, 2001 OffensivelinemanAndrewHandybecameMemphis’20th football commitment of the Andrew Handy signing season. Handy selected the Tigers over Rutgers and UMass. He is slated to work as an offensive guard for Memphis. February 2, 2001 Joe Cullen, the defensive line coach for the University of Richmond Spiders, was in Memphis visiting with Tiger coach Tommy West. Cullen, who coached at LSU under Gerry DiNardo, is interested in the defensive line coaching position at the U of M. West retained six of the former assistant coaches from Rip Scherer’s staff and has three slots to fill including that of offensive coordinator. February 6, 2001 The University of Memphis prepared for the first signing class under head coach Tommy West. The football office sent out 22 scholarships and it is anticipated that the Tigers will receive 20 to 21 signed National Letters of Intent on Wednesday’s signing day. February 7, 2001 The phone began ringing at 7:30 AM CST and did not stop until Memphis had received 20 scholarships from student-athletes who will play for the Tigers in 2001. Andrew Handy, an offensive lineman from Miami, FL, was the first to arrive and Eric Anderson, a junior college lineman from Middle Georgia College was the last of the day. The Tigers landed nine linemen on the day.After a press conference at theAOB,Tommy West and his staff left for a booster party at The Rendezvous. The Tigers expect the arrival of one additional scholarship on Thursday. February 8, 2001 Derron Johnson, an all-American safety from Melrose High School in Memphis, inked his scholarship and faxed it to the Memphis football office on Thursday, brining to an end the 2001 recruiting season for the Tigers. In what is being the greatest local recruiting class in school history, Memphis landed ten players from the MemphisranksincludingAlabamatransferAlbertMeans. Now head coach Tommy West will concentrate on completing his staff and hanging on to secondary coach Tim Walton,whohasoffersfromMiami(FL)andNotreDame. February 12, 2001 Secondary coach Tim Walton flew to South Bend, Indi-