As we get closer to the season, more All-Conference teams are being announced by various outlets. On Friday, the Sports Info Solutions preseason All-American Conference Team was announced, and defensive lineman J'Mond Tapp and safety Ian Foster were named to the team.
Both players followed Huff from Southern Miss and are set to play massive roles in Charles Huff's defense. According to the release from Memphis, "the Sports Info Solutions organization creates a preseason all-conference team across college sports, with honors based on a combination of scouting and statistical data analysis.
J'Mond Tapp
J'Mond Tapp has received a lot of preseason recognition after committing to the Tigers out of the transfer portal, and there's a good chance he's the best player on the team at the end of the season. This will be Tapp's fourth program that he's played for after spending time at Texas, Arizona State and with the Golden Eagles.
Tapp appeared in nine games over two seasons with the Longhorns, and he recorded nine tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss before transferring to Arizona State. He only appeared in one game with the Sun Devils as a redshirt sophomore.
Last year, he landed at Southern Miss and recorded 70 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks and two pass deflections in 13 games playing for Huff. He followed him to Memphis, and he's been named to the first team of nearly every All-Conference team that has been released.
He was even named to ESPN's list of "top non-QB playmakers in 2026."
Ian Foster
Ian Foster is one of a few players who have followed Huff from Marshall all the way to Memphis. The safety wasn't ranked out of high school and signed with the Thundering Herd.
He redshirted as a freshman before playing in 13 games as a redshirt freshman.
He recorded 48 tackles, five tackles for loss and four pass deflections in 13 games. After his redshirt freshman season, Huff took the job at Southern Miss, and Foster followed him.
In Hattiesburg, Foster recorded 72 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, a sack, three interceptions and seven pass deflections. He was named to the Sun Belt All-Conference Third Team along with linebacker Mike Montgomery.
The safety entered the transfer portal again after last season and immediately began receiving Power Four interest. His final five schools came down to Arkansas, Oregon, Ole Miss, Kansas State and Memphis before he ultimately chose to follow his head coach.
Ian Foster's brother, Khalil, also transferred to Memphis during the offseason.
