Talked with the father of Tallahassee Lincoln High quarterback B.J. Daniels Tuesday and he said Memphis remained in the running for his son, rated the No. 8 dual-threat QB in the country according to Rivals.com.

It was difficult to get a handle on B.J.’s preference. His father, Bruce, said his son will make his decision between Memphis and South Florida during a noon press conference at the school Wednesday. And Bruce said he had no idea on which way his son will go.

Daniels could be one of most significant signees for Tiger coach Tommy West during his seven-year run at the U of M. He is the ideal run-pass threat to make a spread offense hum.

Bruce praised the recruiting effort of Tiger assistant Darin Hinshaw, a former University of Central Florida quarterback and said his son was captivated by the thought of playing some basketball for the top-ranked men’s team.

As Wednesday’s National Signing Day approaches, the University of Memphis remains in the hunt for a prized recruit: dual-threat quarterback B.J. Daniels of Tallahassee, Fla.

Memphis may have moved up on Daniels’ list last week when one of his suitors — South Florida — received a commitment from quarterback Evan Landi of Coral Springs, Fla. Landi, who may end up at another position, has been promised a chance to play quarterback.

And Memphis could be a legitimate choice for Daniels if Michigan nabs the nation’s No. 1 recruit — dual-threat QB Terrelle Pryor of Jeannette, Pa. New Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez was in Jeannette last weekend to watch Pryor, like Daniels a basketball standout, too — participate in a high school hoops game.

Daniels is intrigued by the opportunity to also play basketball for the U of M, which dispatched assistant Chuck Martin to Tallahassee last week to see Daniels play. Daniels made his official visit to the U of M Jan. 25-27 and watched the top-ranked Tigers beat Gonzaga.

“I’ve talked to some of the (U of M basketball) assistants and they told me I’d have a chance to play both sports,” Daniels said. “Of course, with the football team running the spread offense, that’s something I’d love to play in. I feel like that’s where I can use my abilities.
“I like to get the ball to the playmakers. I like to get it in their hands. That’s what attracts me about Memphis . . . that and their basketball team is No. 1 in the country.”

Daniels said he’s friends with several U of M students, including Lady Tiger basketball player Jessica Hall, who is from Tallahassee and a starting guard for the U of M.

“They say they love it there,” Daniels said. “But I plan on making my decision on signing day.”

When University of Memphis football coach Tommy West hires Tim Walton as his defensive coordinator — possibly as early as next week — it will represent a second chance for West and Walton.

West desperately wanted to hire Walton, a former Ohio State defensive back and ex-Tiger assistant, a year ago. But Walton couldn’t pass up an attractive offer to become the University of Miami’s DC under first-year coach Randy Shannon.

Walton and Shannon didn’t see eye to eye and Shannon dismissed Walton in mid-December. West won’t miss an opportunity to reel Walton back to Memphis.

In Walton, West will have a defensive coordinator who will run the 4-3 defense with the same precision and effectiveness West ran it during the latter stages of the 2006 season, when West served as the team’s interim DC. And in Walton, West will have a strong, young recruiter with a solid reputation in talent-rich Florida.

It’s a win-win situation for West. And it’s a great situation for Walton, who should benefit from retaining a defensive coordinator’s title.

A few notes and observations before Friday night’s New Orleans Bowl game against Florida Atlantic at the Louisiana Superdome:

Taking a back seat Memphis and Florida Atlantic are vying for a small share of the attention in New Orleans, but Thursday they found themselves pushed back further on local newscasts by civic unrest. Some citizens attempting to attend a packed city council meeting on the proposed demolition of four public housing complexes were turned away by police with mace and taser guns. The uprising made national headlines and dominated local news Thursday.

A coach-and-child reunion Memphis offensive coordinator Clay Helton said he hadn’t had the opportunity to shake hands or say hello to Florida Atlantic coach Howard Schnellenberger during a busy week of bowl preparations. After Thursday’s practice at the Louisiana Superdome, Helton said he fondly recalls being a frequent visitor to the Orange Bowl sidelines from 1979 to ‘82 when his father, Kim, was an assistant on the Schnellenberger-coach Miami Hurricanes. “It was a fun time,” Clay said. “I was 7 years old in 1979 and I got to hang around with Vinny Testaverde, Jim Kelly, Bernie Kosar and Alonzo Highsmith.”

Louisiana legend Former LSU coach Dale Brown was the featured speaker at Thursday’s New Orleans Bowl luncheon. A motivational speaker, Brown didn’t disappoint. He talked about overcoming obstacles in a speech that mentioned everyone from Elvis Presley to Albert Einstein.

Three days of national attention Friday night’s New Orleans Bowl will be carried by ESPN2 and give the Tiger athletic program the second of three nationally televised events in a span of only four days.

A few notes and observations from New Orleans, where the Tigers are awaiting Friday’s bowl game against Florida Atlantic:

Temper, temper After spending Tuesday getting acclimated with the French Quarter, the Tigers resumed practice.

And for the first time since the U of M began preparations for the bowl, Tiger coach Tommy West lost his patience. He stopped practice to admonish the team for its lack of concentration. He said he’ll turn today’s walkthrough at the Louisiana Superdome into a normal practice, a rarity before game day.

Several who attended the workout, and weren’t familiar with West’s practices, asked if the blowup was legitimate. West isn’t known for playing such games. He was serious and upset with the offense’s lack of timing.

Extra, extra read all about it In a city that will play host to an intriguing Sugar Bowl (Georgia vs. Hawaii on Jan. 1) and the BCS title game (LSU vs. Ohio State on Jan. 7), one would expect the local newspaper (The Times-Picayune) to give the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl scant attention.

Yet Wednesday’s paper devoted a front page story (on Florida Atlantic linebacker Cergile Sincere) to the game and a full inside page, which included an article on U of M special teams player Turner West, son of Tiger coach Tommy West, and several note items. Tuesday’s sports section had a story on former Memphis QB Danny Wimprine, a New Orleans native and a quarterback for the city’s Arena Football League franchise.

A Grand Slam The U of M practiced at Tulane, which has recently rebuilt its on-campus baseball stadium. The facility, located next to the football practice field, is an impressive 4,000-seat stadium, built at a cost of more than $10 million. The stadium was damaged during Hurricane Katrina andhad to be rebuilt.

Seeing Blue in the Big Easy Or expecting to see it. Longtime Tiger fan and Highland Hundred member Perry Short called after reading Tuesday’s story on the expected low turnout among U of M fans. I wrote that Tiger AD said nearly 4,000 tickets had been sold through the Memphis ticket office.

Short said he’s predicting the Tiger contingent will surpass 5,000. He said a number of fans bought tickets through TicketMaster and not through the U of M.

A few items from Thursday’s Tiger football practice . . .

** Workouts for next week’s New Orleans Bowl against Florida Atlantic began Thursday at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. Wet grounds at the Murphy Athletic Complex forced the team to work out on the artificial surface at Rex Dockery Field and may send the Tigers back to the Liberty Bowl Friday.

** Speaking of fields . . . at some point the U of M athletic department must seriously consider renaming the practice fields at the Murphy Athletic Complex after longtime facilities coordinator Murray Armstrong, a fixture on the campus for five decades.

** The biggest roar from the players at Thursday’s practice came after offensive lineman/tight end Arron Bentley caught a screen pass and, behind his 290 pounds of momentum, leveled defensive back Michael Grandberry trying to make the stop.

** Former Tiger Rod Brown, who played linebacker in the early 1990s, said he’ll be in New Orleans for the BCS title game between LSU and Ohio State in January. Brown was a teammate of LSU assistant Larry Porter at Memphis. Porter played running back for the U of M and has worked under Les Miles since the two were at Oklahoma State.

University of Memphis football fans will enjoy getting to know Arkelon Hall.

The former Washington State quarterback, who played last year at the College of the Sequoias (Brent Schaeffer’s junior college), is an engaging, straight-forward, confident athlete. For a quarterback, those are ideal attributes. While he’s not blessed with outstanding speed, he is 6-2 and 215 pounds and possesses the ability to pick up yards when necessary.

He’s also looking forward to a return to the South, where he spent a portion of his childhood. His time at Washington State was limited. He was redshirted his first year and injured during his redshirt freshman season before transferring to the College of the Sequoias.

U of M fans shouldn’t be too quick to annoint Hall as Martin Hankins’ successor, even though Hall was rated the No. 8 quarterback prospect in the nation by ESPN.com coming out of high school. While he threw for 13 touchdowns in junior college, he was picked off 14 times.

But he gives the position a needed boost after losing the record-breaking Hankins, whose final game will be the Dec. 21 New Orleans Bowl. Hall said during his official recruiting visit to the U of M campus last weekend that he would sign with the Tigers next week. He didn’t hesitate when asked if he’d take other visits, saying once he reaches a decision, it’s final.

Having Hall in the mix at quarterback in the spring will be interesting. He’ll battle for the position with returnees Will Hudgens and Matt Malouf. If those three are locked in a solid competition, look for the Tigers to possibly move 6-5 Dallas Walker, a freshman from Ridgeland, Miss., to tight end.