Memphis announced its third signee Sunday afternoon with Utah linebacker Christian Thatcher. Thatcher is the second Power Four transfer that Memphis has announced today, and he’s the fifth player to join the Tigers roster after playing at a P4 program last season.
Thatcher signed with Utah as a three-star recruit out of Las Vegas, and he picked the Utes over offers from Colorado, Arizona and Arizona State. Thatcher was ranked a top 50 linebacker on 247 Sports, Rivals and ESPN, and ESPN even had him ranked as the No. 7 inside linebacker in the country.
At Arbor View High School, Thatcher was a three-time first -team all-league player, and he broke the Nevada state record for career tackles with 443 tackles. The Las Vegas Sun named the linebacker to its quarter-century high school football team earlier this month.
The linebacker plays with a high motor, and he was a mainstay in opponents’ backfields throughout his high school career. At 6-foot-2 and 221 pounds, Thatcher is athletic enough to fly around the field, but he also shows the ability to lay big hits.
Thatcher redshirted after not playing in any games during the 2025 season, and he will join the Tigers with four seasons of eligibility left. Thatcher’s brother, Thaddeus, is a top-50 quarterback in the class of 2027, and he also de-committed from Utah earlier this month.
With Thatcher’s signing, Memphis has announced 28 signings since the transfer portal opened, and Thatcher is the third linebacker to sign with the program. The Tigers now have 18 defensive players signed out of the transfer portal, and they’re now looking for a new defensive coordinator after it was reported yesterday that Jason Semore is leaving to take the same position at Georgia tech.