Monday was an eventful day for Coral Springs (Fla.) High School cornerback Antoine Tharpe. The two-star prospect with offers from UMass, Memphis, Troy, Illinois State and Tennessee State had thought that it would be the day that he ended his college recruitment. However, news of a coaching change quickly derailed those plans.

"As a matter of fact I was ready to commit to Memphis but then I found out that their head coach got fired," Tharpe said. "I had been looking up and reading on the school and I had really gotten attracted to the school and I had just felt that it was the school for me."

When Tharpe found out the news that the coach that had recruited him to Memphis would no longer be in place, his reaction was understandable.

"I was shocked," he said. "I knew they weren't really doing too good but I really wasn't expecting them to get fired so it was a big shock. Now I'm just really trying to wait and see how many offers I get and really not trying to rush it anymore."

Despite the departure of West and likely some of his staff, Tharpe still has a sincere interest in the Conference USA program.

"I definitely really do like the school a lot," he said. "If I have a good vibe with the coach, I'd love to still go there."

Along with Memphis and his other offers, Tharpe has received increased interest from programs such as FAU, FIU and Delaware.

"I'm definitely open to everybody right now," he said. "Memphis is my number one but I'm trying to open it up to other schools."

Tharpe has plans to take official visits to Tennessee State and to Memphis after the season but hopes to see more campuses as well. This weekend he plays in his final regular season game which will also be his final high school game as his team fell short of a playoff run.

"I've basically been giving it my all," he said of his season. "I just feel like once you give it your all, there's nothing really else you can do. I'm just happy with my team. I'm happy we stayed together throughout even though we had a tough season."




...More... To continue reading this article you must be a member. Sign Up Now for a FREE Trial