In less than a month, Memphis football will hit the field for spring practice, marking the start of the Charles Huff era. Huff and his staff spent the offseason rebuilding a roster that saw a lot of players come and go.
All eyes will be on the offense after the Tigers had to replace most players on the offensive side of the ball, especially at the skill positions. Memphis will have a new starting quarterback and a new starting running back, and Huff’s staff brought in five new running backs during the offseason.
Dallan Hayden
Dallan Hayden signed with Memphis after spending the last four seasons at Power Four programs. Hayden, a four-star recruit out of Christian Brothers High School, signed with Ohio State, and he most recently spent two years at Colorado.
As a freshman, Hayden saw a lot of playing time due to injuries, and he recorded 553 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 111 carries. As a sophomore, the running back only appeared in three games before taking a redshirt.
Hayden transferred and joined Deion Sanders at Colorado, but he only recorded 663 yards and six touchdowns in 13 games over two seasons. Hayden, who will be a senior, will have one season of eligibility remaining, and he’ll look to capitalize on a starting opportunity for his hometown team.
Manny Covey
Manny Covey joins the team after spending the previous two years with Cincinnati. Covey was a three-star recruit out of Bradford High School and chose Cincinnati over offers from Iowa State, Kansas State and Minnesota.
The running back played in 12 games as a freshman and recorded 62 yards on 17 carries, but he saw more time in his second year with the program, recording 198 yards on 28 attempts. Covey recorded 78 yards on 11 carries and 28 yards on five receptions during the AutoZone Liberty Bowl against Navy.
With two seasons of eligibility remaining, Covey will look for a bigger opportunity in the Tigers’ backfield, and he has shown the potential to be a big-play back for Memphis.
Jaylin Carter
Jaylin Carter spent his freshman season at Southern Miss last year and followed Huff and running backs coach Telly Lockette to Memphis.
Carter appeared in nine games and recorded 166 yards and two touchdowns in 38 carries, and he could see early playing time due to his familiarity with the staff and system.
Eric Perry
Eric Perry committed to Memphis after decommitting from Auburn following the firing of Hugh Freeze, and he remained signed after Memphis’ coaching change. Perry spent his high school career at DeSoto Central, and he recorded 1,360 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns during his senior year.
Jordan Thompson
Jordan Thompson committed and signed with Southern Miss before the coaching change, but he decommitted and signed with the Tigers on December 18. The running back chose the Tigers over offers from USF, Illinois and Pittsburgh.
Thompson recorded more than 700 rushing yards for Coconut Creek last season, and he is also an option in the passing game.
Isaiah McGill
Isaiah McGill is the only running back to return after spending his freshman season with the Tigers. McGill joined the program after recording 3,483 total yards and 37 touchdowns at Hunters Lane High School in Nashville.