Martin: This Memphis football team looks like a title contender
University of Memphis football coach Charles Huff guides players during the Tigers' game agains the Charlotte 49ers Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026 in Charlotte, N.C. (Memphis Athletics)
John Martin
John Martin is a contributing college sports columnist for The Daily Memphian. Martin is a lifelong Memphian who’s covered the Memphis Tigers’ basketball program for more than a decade. Before joining The Daily Memphian team, he was the Memphis beat writer for The Athletic. Currently, he is the co-host of the Jason and John Show on 92.9 FM ESPN, weekdays at 11 a.m. Martin is a graduate of White Station High School and the University of Memphis.
Back in July, Memphis Tigers football coach Charles Huff announced to a crowd of Highland Hundred members that there was no need to worry about his ambitions in his first season.
He had already scheduled recruiting visits for the weekend of The American Conference Championship game — in December.
“That is not a wish in one hand and hope,” Huff said then. “That’s putting things in place. We’ll be the only game in town. We play at 8 (p.m.). There’s a lot of really, really good recruits and commits that we already have, that we will have on campus.”
If the Tigers’ performance in their American opener on Saturday is any indication, that looks like a sharp bet.
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