Memphis football tight end Anthony Landphere has declared for the NFL Draft after a whirlwind process where he initially declared for the draft, withdrew because he believed he had another year of eligibility and then declared for the draft again.
“I’ve been informed that I have exhausted all of my college eligibility and I will not receive an additional year of eligibility for playing in Junior College,” Landphere wrote on X. “With that being said I will be declaring for the 2025 NFL Draft. Thank you for everything Memphis!!”
Landphere announced after Memphis’ season ended in December that he planned to enter the draft. That didn’t come as a surprise because he had already exhausted his eligibility, and he played all season with the expectation that he would leave after 2024.
But Diego Pavia’s lawsuit paved the way for former junior college players — like Landphere, who played at San Mateo College in 2021 — to get an extra year of eligibility. After a judge ruled in Pavia’s favor, the NCAA approved a blanket waiver that gave football players who played at junior colleges an extra year of eligibility if they would otherwise have been out after the 2024 season.
That helped Memphis in the transfer portal. Linebacker Sam Brumfield, who began his career at Northwest Mississippi Community College and was about to end his career with Virginia Tech, instead entered the transfer portal and signed with the Tigers.
The NCAA later clarified that players could take advantage of the extra year if they were within the five-year eligibility window. That meant it applied to players who entered college in 2020 or later, and that’s where Landphere’s situation differs from most other players.
He began his career in 2019 at San Diego State, but he redshirted and then went to the College of San Mateo. He transferred to Memphis in 2022, then played three seasons for the Tigers.
He began as a backup to Caden Prieskorn but became Memphis’ starting tight end during his last two seasons. He had his best season in 2024 and was named first team All-AAC.
His return would’ve been a major boost for a Tigers’ offense that’s losing most of its production from last season, including its quarterback and top three receivers.
Memphis’ tight end room for 2025
Adding insult to injury is the fact that Landphere’s backup in 2024, Brenden Doyle, entered the portal after the season and transferred to Stanford. Fellow tight end Jamauri Chislom entered the portal after receiving an additional year of eligibility because of the Juco ruling.
The returning tight ends on Memphis’ roster are redshirt freshman Luke Logan, redshirt sophomore Christian Ross and redshirt freshman Darien Bell. The Tigers signed a pair of tight ends, Bryce Anderson and Jonathan Harding, on early signing day in December.
Memphis did get a commitment from Penn State transfer Jerry Cross, a former four-star recruit who spent two seasons with the Nittany Lions.
Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at jonah.dylan@commercialappeal.com or on X @thejonahdylan.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis’ Anthony Landphere declares for NFL Draft after eligibility saga
