Larry Porter Named New Tigers Coach

LSU's Larry Porter was named the new University of Memphis Tigers head football coach at a press conference Sunday afternoon.

"I am pleased to announce the hiring of Larry Porter as the head football coach at the University of Memphis," said Athletic Director R.C. Johnson. "Throughout his career as a coach, Larry has worked with some of the most outstanding programs and coaches in collegiate football, and has gained a wealth of knowledge and experience that he now brings to the Tiger program."

Porter, who's built a reputation for being one of the nation's best recruiters, replaces Tommy West, who was fired Nov. 9 after nine seasons. West coached the Tigers (2-10) the rest of the season, which ended with a 33-30 overtime loss at Tulsa on Friday.

A native of Jackson, Miss., Porter is returning to Memphis after spending the last five years on the LSU coaching staff. He had also worked three years with LSU coach Les Miles at Oklahoma State before joining Miles in Baton Rouge in 2005. He coached LSU running backs while also holding two key roles on staff - assistant head coach and chief recruiter. Porter was elevated to the position of assistant head coach during the spring of 2006. He has twice (2007 and 2009) been named as the National Recruiter of the Year by Rivals.com making him one of the top all-around assistant coaches in college football.

Porter lettered four years (1990-93) at Memphis, serving as co-captain of the 1993 Tiger squad. He closed out his career with 2,194 yards and 20 rushing touchdowns, ranking seventh in school history in yardage and tied for fifth in touchdowns. As a rookie in 1990, Porter rushed for 206 yards against Arkansas State, the highest single-game total for a freshman in school history. In his first game, he replaced injured starting tailback Marvin Cox and raced 53 yards for a touchdown against Arkansas State on his first college carry. Porter had a total of six 100-yard games during his career, a figure that ranks tied for fifth in Memphis history. Porter graduated in 1996 with a bachelor's degree in education.

"I am very proud to be back at my university as the head coach of the Tiger Football team," said Porter. "I look forward to putting a product on the field that the people of Memphis will support and be very excited about."

Porter received a 5-year, $3.7 million contract as head coach for the Memphis Tigers. His hiring makes the school's first African-American head football coach, as well as the first returning Tiger player as head football coach.