Last Saturday, Memphis beat UT Martin 45-21 at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, and in the second half, Charles Huff elected to insert some of the younger players to give them an opportunity to show what they can do in a game situation.
One of the players that got an extended look was freshman running back Jordan Thompson. The running back is from Pompano Beach, Florida and was a three-star recruit in the class of 2026. He held 10 offers, according to 247Sports, and he initially committed to USF.
He decommitted from USF in early December and flipped to Southern Miss. This was while Charles Huff was still the head coach, and he ultimately decided to sign with Memphis after taking a visit in January.
There wasn’t a lot of talk about Thompson throughout the spring or fall, and it appeared that the Tigers had enough running backs to keep those players towards the bottom of the depth chart.
In previous seasons, freshmen would serve a redshirt season and then return as a redshirt freshman with a larger role, but the NCAA voted to change the eligibility rules to the five-for-five model. In the fall, Huff said that the changes would require the coaching staff to find roles for guys earlier than previous years.
“With only five-for-five, you’ve got to find a role for these guys fast,” Huff said during fall camp. “Whether that is special teams. Whether that’s ‘hey, you’re in the rotation.’ Whether that’s ‘hey you’re a three with working ability.’ But, you don’t really have time to redshirt anymore, so it forces our coaches to kind of force them into the fire.”
Thompson got his opportunity against the Skyhawks, and he ran 110 yards and a touchdown on six carries, leading the team in yards. He was the only running back to score on the ground in the game.
After the game fans were excited about his performance and were curious if the Tigers would use him more going forward, so will they?
While it was an impressive showing, Huff doesn’t appear to be a coach that will overreact to a performance like that in the second half against an FCS opponent. That won’t mean that nothing will change, but it doesn’t appear Thompson will move into the top three running back spots.
Memphis has a solid group of three veteran backs that it has relied on through the first four games, and it appears the Tigers will continue to primarily use those three.
Jaylin Carter ranks No. 9 in the country with 437 rushing yards and No. 5 with six rushing touchdowns, while Manny Covey has added 187 yards on 35 carries. Dallan Hayden has shown some flashes as the third running back in the rotation and has recorded 125 yards on 18 carries.
While it’s hard to imagine Thompson getting a ton of playing time this season, it feels like there will be several games in conference where the coaching staff could turn to him when games are in hand. Huff proved last week that he would rather develop than blow opponents outJT, and that could be a great opportunity for Thompson to see more action.
Next week’s game against Charlotte could be an opportunity for him.
