According to the Memphis Commercial-Appeal, Washington Redskins defensive assistant Jerry Gray and LSU assistant head coach Larry Porter are the two finalists for the Tigers' coaching vacancy.
Porter has long been considered one of the leading contenders -- if not the top contender -- for the position due to his ties to the university -- he played running back for the Tigers -- and his recruiting prowess; twice Porter has been named as Rivals.com's recruiter of the year.
Gray is very much a latecomer to the process, with his name first surfacing when Memphis pared their original list down to five last week. The Redskins assistant has a unique, if not indirect, tie to the university according to the Commercial-Appeal.
His connection to the Memphis job would appear to be a relationship with FedEx founder and CEO Fred Smith, a part owner of the Redskins. Smith, a prominent UofM booster, has a son, Cannon, who will compete for the starting quarterback job next season. Cannon transferred from the University of Miami before the season began and sat out this fall per NCAA guidelines regarding transfers.
The announcement on a new head coach is expected to take place shortly after the end of Memphis' regular-season slate.
