Memphis adds FCS cornerback Darius Malcolm Jr.

Memphis added its second player from the transfer portal Sunday night with the commitment from Darius Malcolm Jr., a cornerback from Wofford. 

Malcolm spent the last two seasons at Wofford, but he only played two seasons in 2024 before taking a redshirt. In 2025, he became one of the best corners in the conference, and he finished the season as a Jerry Rice award finalist. The Jerry Rice Award is given to the most outstanding freshman every year at the FCS level. 

As a redshirt freshman, Malcolm recorded 76 tackles, four tackles for loss and 13 pass breakups. He finished the year second in the conference in forced incompletions and was the highest-graded cornerback in the conference, according to Pro Football Focus.

Malcolm was targeted 82 times, and only 67.1 percent of those throws were caught for an average of 9.6 yards and three touchdowns. 

The Tigers’ secondary was an issue throughout the season, and it was going to be a priority before the coaching change. In conference play, Memphis allowed 235.1 passing yards per game, which ranked No. 9 in the conference. 

The secondary was older, and the combination of expired eligibility and players going to the transfer portal opens up a huge opportunity for Malcolm to see playing time early. While he didn’t record an interception this season, he has shown a knack for making plays on the ball, and he should thrive in Huff’s defensive system, which led the country in interceptions last year.

Malcolm has also shown that he’s an impressive open-field tackler, and he should only improve with more experience. Malcolm finished with a 79.2 tackling grade, and he only missed eight tackles as a redshirt freshman.

The cornerback, who was named a first-team Freshman All-American by Opta Analyst, has three years of eligibility remaining. He becomes the second player Memphis has added in the transfer portal, but he’s the first on the defensive side of the ball.

Sunday morning, the Tigers announced wide receiver Tychaun Chapman signed with the program. Memphis had several visitors on campus over the weekend, and there could be more announcements over the next few days.