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Mike Norvell made a ton of noise in his first recruiting class as Memphis continued their ascension to the top of the American Athletic Conference by landing one of the most impressive classes in the G5.
Memphis pulled off one of the bigger surprises of the day as three-star safety Josh Perry announced he would be going to Memphis. Perry had been an Alabama commit up until last May but de-committed from the defending national champs just days before signing day. The Louisiana product was rumored to flip to LSU today but instead signed with Memphis.
The Tigers pulled off one more shocker as they were able to land defensive end John Tate. Tate had recently visited Boise State and appeared headed to play for the Broncos before signing with the Tigers.
For Norvell to land two major recruits on the defensive side of the ball is a positive sign that he won't be focusing on just offense as he is known primarily for being an offensive coordinator.
According to 247 Sports the best recruit in the class is three-star quarterback and JUCO transfer Riley Ferguson. Ferguson is already enrolled at Memphis and will try to replace future NFL draft pick Paxton Lynch this season. Norvell also added dual-threat quarterback and Georgia product David Moore.
The Tigers signed 23 players and 15 of them are three-stars. The class is spread out across the country as 11 different states are represented.
The class features players from Georgia (3), Texas (3), Alabama (4), Louisiana (3), and Tennessee (4), with four players straight from Memphis. Many wondered whether Mike Norvell would be able to recruit the south well given his reputation as a west coast guy but Norvell did a great job of selling Memphis and keeping SEC schools Ole Miss and Mississippi State from poaching their recruits.
If this class comes as a surprise to you it shouldn't. Memphis has been one of the best G5 teams over the past two years and this year's class is a sign that Memphis isn't going anywhere.