Tag: Memphis Tigers

Former LSU DB Maurice Hampton in the transfer portal once again

Maurice Hampton, a former football and baseball player at LSU, is set to join his fourth collegiate program.

College football journeyman [autotag]Maurice Hampton[/autotag] is set to join his fourth program.

The former LSU defensive back, who played at Memphis this past season and previously at Samford, is back in the transfer portal. A former football and baseball player at LSU, he appeared in 12 games as a defensive back from 2019-20.

He opted to transfer to Samford, where he only played baseball over the next two seasons. The Memphis native reignited his football career in 2023 when he transferred to his hometown team, but he didn’t record a stat in his only season with the Tigers as he suffered a preseason injury.

The 23rd-round 2019 MLB draft pick appeared in 15 games in his two seasons with the LSU baseball team. He later appeared in 54 games over two seasons with the Bulldogs.

It’s been a winding career for the former blue-chip recruit, but he’s looking to make the most of his final season of eligibility.

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Sooners land commitment from three-star safety Marcus Wimberly

Oklahoma lands its 11th commit of the 2025 cycle with a pledge from safety Marcus Wimberly.

April has started with a boom for [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and the Oklahoma Sooners.

The Sooners landed their 11th commit of the [autotag]2025 recruiting class[/autotag] when three-star safety [autotag]Marcus Wimberly[/autotag] announced his commitment to the Crimson & Cream on Saturday afternoon.

Wimberly, a native of Arkansas, was in town for Oklahoma’s “Heisman Hangout” weekend, which featured many guests from the 2025 and 2026 recruiting classes. Without much more information, it looks like that recruiting event has already paid dividends.

247Sports composite lists Wimberly No. 624 overall in the 2025 recruiting class. He is a top 50 safety nationally (No. 47) and a top-five player in the state of Arkansas.

Wimberly is a talented player with a nice blend of athleticism and instincts. Once he arrives on campus, he’ll be a safety in this defense.

In a previous interview with OUInsider at Rivals, Wimberly explained his priorities in his search.

“I’m gonna say the No. 1 thing is culture,” he said. “I want to go somewhere that I’m not only going to grow as a football player and an athlete, but I want to go somewhere that I’m going to grow as a human being to where I can be a great father, a great husband — and maybe one day, since God called me to it, a great youth pastor.”

Since Venables and Co. took over, Oklahoma has been known for its culture and plans for its players after football, an attribute that is central to winning recruits and their families. Wimberly had been trending in the Sooners’ direction for weeks as predictions rolled in for the Sooners to land him.

Wimberly is the fourth defensive prospect to pledge to the Sooners and the first defensive back in the Sooners’ class. He chose the Sooners over Michigan, Memphis, Tennessee, Arkansas and Wisconsin.

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Unpacking Future Packers: No. 45, Memphis RB Blake Watson

Up next in the Unpacking Future Packers draft preview series is Memphis running back Blake Watson.

The Unpacking Future Packers Countdown is a countdown of 100 prospects that could be selected by the Green Bay Packers in the 2024 NFL draft.

The Green Bay Packers most assuredly will draft a running back or two in the 2024 NFL Draft. Recently signed Josh Jacobs will be the lead dog, while AJ Dillon, who re-signed with the Packers on a one-year deal may have to fight for his roster spot depending on how the rest of the offseason plays out at the position. 

A running back that Brian Gutekunst could target on Day 3 of the 2024 NFL Draft is Blake Watson. The Memphis running back checks in at No. 45 in the Unpacking Future Packers Countdown.

Watson, a transfer from Old Dominion finished his lone season as a Tiger with 1,152 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns. Watson also reeled in 53 receptions for 480 yards and three touchdowns. 

“He always looked comfortable at Memphis catching passes out of the backfield,” Jonah Dylan, the Memphis beat writer for the Commercial Appeal, said. “He can run between the tackles and on the outside. He can line up in different places.” 

The first thing that stands out about Watson is his ability to impact the game as a receiving threat out of the backfield. A former high school wide receiver, Watson redshirted his first season at Old Dominion before moving to running back during the 2019 campaign. He set the Old Dominion program record for receptions in a season by a running back (37) in 2022. 

He’s able to pluck the ball away and instantly turn upfield to press the action. Watson makes sharp cuts as a route runner and his background as as receiver is evident. According to Pro Football Focus, Watson created 557 yards after the catch this past season. 

The former high school wide receiver has reliable hands. Watson was targeted 105 times over the past two seasons and was charged with just four drops. 

“His ability as a receiver was a key selling point at Memphis, even though he also rushed for 1,000 yards,” Dylan said. “It wasn’t just catching passes out of the flat or as a checkdown – because he has that history playing wideout, he’s able to run routes at an elite level for a running back.”

Watson’s burst in short areas stands out. He has quick feet and can hit instant acceleration to put stress on defenses. Watson is able to make lateral cuts without slowing down. He has the vision to find the crease and weave through traffic. 

“Memphis had good offensive line play in 2023, so Watson had holes to run through more often than not,” Dylan said. “But he was also good at finding those holes and pushing through contact near the line of scrimmage. His teammates would tell you he’s one of the smartest players on the field and in the locker room. That manifests itself in his game.”

According to PFF, Watson racked up 719 yards after contact and forced 50 missed tackles. He’s shifty when he gets out in space and can string together moves to leave defenders grasping at straws. 

“He’s got solid elusiveness in tight spaces and good at running through tackles at the point of attack,” Dylan said. “There were multiple runs throughout the season where he took a handoff in the backfield, jumped to the outside and then jetted down the sideline.”

Watson brings special teams value as a kick returner. During the 2019 season, Watson averaged 26.4 yards per kick return at Old Dominion. 

Fit with the Packers

Jacobs and Dillon provide the Packers with a formidable running back duo for Jordan Love. Adding a player like Watson would give the Packers a running back who’s a dynamic receiving threat out of the backfield. That element would add another dimension to Green Bay’s young offense. 

“He’s someone who could help an NFL team, especially when you’re talking about the back end of the draft,” Dylan said. “His versatility will give coaches options, even if he’s not the strongest or the fastest running back out there. He’s also got plenty of experience through his time at Old Dominion and Memphis, but – as his team will point out – he doesn’t have as much tread on the proverbial tires as you’d expect because he played receiver in high school and didn’t get tackled as much as a running back would.”

Watson is a versatile weapon and brings special teams value as a kick returner. He’d be the ultimate change of pace back who could impact the game through the air, between the tackles and on special teams.

Rookie Wire Power Rankings: Victor Wembanyama maintains No. 1 spot after historic performance

Rookie Wire took a look at the top first-year players over the last two weeks of the 2023-24 season.

The regular season is past the trade deadline and approaching NBA All-Star Weekend, with the top players in the game set to compete in various events in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The crop of rookies continues to perform well this season, resulting in some remarkable performances of late. Led by Victor Wembanyama, Chet Holmgren, Brandon Miller, Scoot Henderson and others, they have captured national attention and have been fascinating at times.

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The class will be represented in the Rising Stars game, as 11 first-year players will participate in the revamped exhibition. Including 10 sophomores, and seven players from the G League, the game will feature the top up-and-coming players.

To make sense of it all, we looked at the best recent performances of these first-year players and ranked them in the Rookie Wire Power Rankings. The rankings are not for Rookie of the Year purposes but to illustrate the best players week to week.

Oklahoma receives crystal balls for 3-star Arkansas prospect Marcus Wimberly

Oklahoma has landed three crystal ball projections in favor of landing three-star S Marcus Wimberly.

Oklahoma’s safety position for 2024 has the best talent it has had in quite some time. [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag], a former five-star prospect, is set to take over as a full-time starter. At the same time, Oklahoma returned [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag], one of the nation’s most dynamic defensive playmakers and future NFL Draft pick.

[autotag]Robert Spears-Jennings[/autotag] will be the first to spell either of them. Talented athlete Erik McCarty will be making his return after suffering a knee injury in the final game of his high school career, which forced him to red shirt his freshman season.

Recruiting has been solid, and now true freshmen [autotag]Reggie Powers[/autotag], [autotag]Michael Boganowski[/autotag], Jaydan Hardy, and Mykel Patterson-McDonald are set to join the mix.

Oklahoma has no safety commitments for the 2025 class, but 247Sports director of national recruiting Steve Wiltfong believes that may end soon if his recent crystal ball prediction is any indication.

Tuesday morning, Wiltfong logged a crystal ball for Oklahoma to land three-star safety [autotag]Marcus Wimberly[/autotag] out of Arkansas. Wimberly is a strong prospect who plays baseball and competes in track and field. He ran an 11.45 100 and a 23.61 200 as a sophomore in the spring of 2023.

Wimberly visited Oklahoma for their junior day earlier this year. He likes the on and off-the-field culture fit for Oklahoma, so it should be no surprise that Oklahoma has a significant footing in his recruitment. An Arkansas crystal ball was logged previously, so discounting the in-state school would be unwise. Two Michigan insiders have also logged crystal balls in favor of Oklahoma landing Wimberly, so it’s safe to say that the Sooners are the trending favorite.

Marcus Wimberly’s Recruiting Profile

Projections

Film

Hudl

Grizzlies rookie GG Jackson benched on Monday after violating team rule

Grizzlies rookie GG Jackson was held out of action on Monday against the Pelicans after violating a team rule.

Memphis Grizzlies rookie GG Jackson is inactive on Monday against the New Orleans Pelicans after violating a team rule, according to Damichael Cole of The Commercial Appeal.

Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins didn’t elaborate on the violation prior to the contest and only added that the 19-year-old would be available to play on Wednesday against the Houston Rockets. Jackson had played in the last 17 games after spending most of the season in the G League.

Jackson is averaging 10.1 points and 3.4 rebounds on 37.9% shooting from 3-point range in 21 appearances. He is eighth among first-year players in scoring and 10th in 3-point percentage.

Jackson signed a two-way contract with the Grizzlies after becoming the 45th pick in the 2023 NBA draft. The team rewarded him a standard contract on Friday after a productive run of late, reportedly worth $8.5 million over four years.

He emerged as one of the top players in the G League with the Memphis Hustle before joining the Grizzlies’ rotation on Jan. 12, averaging 20 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.3 blocks in 22 appearances.

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LSU softball opens the season with a 5-0 weekend, all shutouts

The Tigers didn’t allow a run this weekend, and three of their five shutout wins came by run-rule.

You really couldn’t ask for a better start to the season than coach Beth Torina’s LSU softball team did this weekend. The No. 15 Tigers began the season 5-0, all of which were shutouts and three of which came in run-rule fashion.

On Saturday, they finished up a double-header with an 8-0 victory over Memphis in five innings, with [autotag]Emilee Cassanova[/autotag] pitching a complete game while giving up just two hits and striking out five.

With one out in the bottom of the first, LSU got going quickly. [autotag]Raeleen Gutierrez[/autotag] had a two-run single, and [autotag]McKenzie Redoutey[/autotag] added a third run with a sacrifice groundout.

The rest of the action came in the third. [autotag]Maci Bergeron[/autotag] and [autotag]Sierra Daniel[/autotag] hit back-to-back RBI singles, while two more runs scored on bases-loaded walks to [autotag]Ciara Briggs[/autotag] and [autotag]Ali Newland[/autotag] and a hit-by-pitch to [autotag]Taylor Pleasants[/autotag].

LSU will now head to Florida next weekend for the Clearwater Invitational, where it will face Georgia Tech, Northwestern, Oklahoma State, Washington and Minnesota.

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LSU softball delivers another run-rule win over Memphis

Two games down, two run-rule shutouts for LSU softball.

Two games down, two run-rule shutouts for LSU softball.

The Tigers had no issues in their second game of the season on Friday night against Memphis at home, winning 19-0 as the game ended early due to a mercy rule.

After scoring one run in the first, LSU had a pair of homers as it scored four runs in the second. It really broke things open in the third as it scored eight runs on two homers, and the Tigers plated six more runs in the fourth inning.

[autotag]Danieca Coffey[/autotag], [autotag]Taylor Pleasants[/autotag] and [autotag]Raeleen Gutierrez[/autotag] all went yard and combined for 10 RBI, while [autotag]Ali Newland[/autotag] was 2 for 2 at the plate with a pair of hits and an RBI.

Sophomore pitcher [autotag]Emma Strood[/autotag] got the start, pitching all five innings. She allowed just two hits, no runs and struck out three batters. LSU will be back in action again on Friday night for a game against Pittsburgh.

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After playing with fire in AAC play, Memphis Tigers get burned

South Florida was down 20 but managed to come all the way back and defeat the Memphis Tigers, ending their 10 game winning streak.

After two weeks of winning by the thinnest of margins, Memphis finally got burned on Wednesday evening – and it happened in spectacular fashion.

A 52-32 lead in the second half completely evaporated down the stretch and the Bulls of South Florida stunned the Tigers, winning 74-73, to end Memphis’ 10 game winning streak and hand them their first conference loss of the season.

Memphis climbed into the Top 10 of the AP Poll this week, but they hadn’t exactly been inspiring a lot of confidence with their recent performances.

Outside of a 112-86 win over Wichita State, Memphis needed late game heroics to win their other three AAC games against Tulsa (by 3) SMU (by 3) and UTSA (by six in overtime).

And while it looked like they were well on their way to a blowout against a South Florida team that was 2-1 in conference and 9-5 overall, the Bulls got hot from three and complacency from Hardaway’s team sent them packing.

“This one hurts because we worked so hard to get to this level,” Hardaway said after the game.

It was South Florida’s first win over a ranked team since 2012 and first over a top 10 team since beating Georgetown in February of 2010, and represented a signature win for first year coach Amir Abdur-Rahim, who led Kennesaw State to the NCAA Tournament last year.

“It’s not about us,” Abdur-Rahim said. “It’s about the University of South Florida. … This is a great win for the University of South Florida, and this group of kids who allow us to push them.”

Memphis becomes the latest ranked team to fall to an unranked opponent, but with far fewer opportunities to pick up Quad 1 wins thanks to their conference, every loss is magnified for the Tigers.

Memphis will try to get back on track on Sunday as they head on the road to take on Tulane, with tip-off slated for 1:00 PM ET.

Former Memphis commit Mikey Williams reportedly headed to UCF

Former Memphis commit and social media sensation Mikey Williams will join the Central Florida Knights after entering the NCAA transfer portal earlier this week.

Mikey Williams, a social media sensation and four-star point guard in the 2023 recruiting class, has reportedly committed to the Central Florida Knights just a few days after entering the transfer portal out of Memphis.

Williams committed to join Penny Hardaway and the Tigers back in November of 2022, but before his freshman season began he was charged with nine felony counts after a shooting near his California home.

No one was injured, and Williams ultimately plead guilty to one count of criminal threatening on Nov. 30, which could be reduced to a misdemeanor if he completes 80 hours of community service.

Williams had enrolled at Memphis and was taking online classes, but had not practiced with the team while his legal issues played out. Earlier this week Memphis confirmed he had entered his name into the NCAA transfer portal.

Williams is an exciting addition for a Knights team that is 23rd in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency at KenPom, but who have struggled offensively at times.

The 6’3 guard gained notoriety on Instagram early in his high school career for his explosive mixtapes, garnering over 3.5 million followers and initially having five-star status. Now he’ll look for a fresh start in Orlando with the Knights, who are coming off their first Big 12 win over the No. 3 ranked Kansas Jayhawks on Wednesday evening.