When the University of Memphis first contacted then Bearden High School kicker Matt Reagan in October, the Tigers were entering largely uncharted territory.

Since Tommy West became head coach in 2001, East Tennessee has been about as big a recruiting priority for the Tigers as East Timor.

Of the 35 scholarship players on this year's roster who hail from Tennessee, all but two - Reagan and Dave Thomas, a receiver from Murfreesboro Riverdale - are from West Tennessee or Memphis.

According to West and recruiting coordinator Clay Helton, that's more a result of the staff's backyard-and-big-city strategy than of any mutual disinterest.

"We've tried to get into central Tennessee some," West said. "But to be honest, instead of going into East Tennessee, we've gone places like Atlanta because of the population. We'll go to Miami, Birmingham, Mobile ... because our chances are better when you look at the number of players there."

When West took over, Helton said, he put the recruiting emphasis on a 150-mile radius and on states bordering the state.

In particular, that meant northern Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia and eastern Arkansas, in addition to West Tennessee and Memphis.

"The closer you stay to home, the more of an advantage you have, and we have had a lot of success close to home," Helton said. "We have also really branched out in the last year, trying to break into central Tennessee and Nashville. We're branching out as far as we can but knowing we don't have to go to Alaska to say they're the right guy.

"We follow that lead. If that lead's in Knoxville, as it was with Matt Reagan, we'll go explore it."

Reagan admits to not having given Memphis a first thought before receiving his first call from the Tigers last fall.

"I had never been to Memphis before. I'd never been to that part of the state," Reagan said. "But I was interested to see what it was like."

While Reagan said most players in East Tennessee still have eyes and ears only for Tennessee, and that many don't even realize Memphis is a state school, he was intrigued by a program he perceived to be on the rise.

His interest was piqued even more after watching the Tigers, minus star running back DeAngelo Williams, come up just short in a 20-16 loss in Knoxville last season.

"The reason a lot of people don't come over here is a lot of people grow up diehard UT fans," Reagan said. "I was at the UT-Memphis game last year and saw them really compete with UT, and that really got my attention.

"Memphis is becoming a winning program, getting national attention with DeAngelo and playing in bowl games. Players notice that."

Helton compares the Tigers' situation in the eastern half of the state to their standing in Mississippi prior to West's promotion from defensive coordinator following the 2000 season.

"When he first took the job, there weren't any Mississippi kids here. You get one or two, then four or five and then it turns into 10," Helton said.

Thomas' early success at wide receiver - he threw a touchdown pass in the opener at Ole Miss - has opened eyes in some previously fallow recruiting areas, Helton said.

"Already in Nashville, based on what Dave's doing, kids are calling us. We don't have to call them first," Helton said.

In addition, the same link that helped the Tigers in their recruitment of Thomas could help them make more inroads in East Tennessee.

West's friendship with Gary Rankin, his teammate at Tennessee and Thomas' coach at Riverdale, certainly won't hurt the Tigers' efforts in the Knoxville area now that Rankin is coaching at talent-rich Alcoa.

Helton said the Tigers are ramping up their efforts in the state's larger population centers, including assigning assistant coach Kenny Ingram to recruit in Chattanooga.

"We're really trying to get into the Chattanooga and Nashville areas," Helton said. "There's a lot of guys in Chattanooga. We've got to sell them on the fact it's only a four- or five-hour drive to get a quality education and play an exciting brand of football like we do here."

The 6-1, 210-pound Reagan, the Tigers' starting placekicker, is pleased with the experience.

"I saw the roster before I came and was surprised there weren't a couple more players (from East Tennessee)," Reagan said. "But I think if we keep winning and going to bowl games, more players from there will start looking at Memphis."