Ryan Silverfield’s place in University of Memphis football history is secure. He’s the only Tiger coach to win four bowl games. He’s the only Tiger coach to post back-to-back 10-win seasons. He’s only the third coach in more than a century of Tiger football to reach 40 career wins with a winning record. (Ralph Hatley coached his last game for Memphis in 1957 and Billy Murphy’s Hall of Fame career ended in 1971.) But Silverfield’s job description today is very different from when he took over the program before the 2019 Cotton Bowl (after Mike Norvell departed for Florida State). Now the father of infant twin girls, the 45-year-old coach shared thoughts on where Memphis football has arrived and where he sees it going, with some important goals still to achieve.
Memphis Flyer: How have consecutive 10-win seasons impacted the program, and you personally?
Ryan Silverfield: I respect and appreciate the history of this program. I knew it was hard to do something special, even under Mike Norvell when we won 10 games [in 2019]. Last year, to get to 10 … people in Memphis are pretty fired up about football again. We’re in a new era of what Memphis football can look like. Credit should go to the players. But at the end of the day, there’s still something missing: our not winning the [conference] championship. There’s still that hole, that void. The players stayed dialed in [last season], even after we didn’t have a chance to win that championship. Think about the win at Tulane. And then the bowl game, our 11th win. I’m proud of the direction we’re continuing. [Memphis enters the season having scored at least 20 points in 40 consecutive games, the longest such streak in the country.]
What has been a consistent thread over the last two seasons, one you can incorporate in 2025?
The biggest thing we’ve been able to do — considering there are so many different players — is players are willing to be held accountable. And allow themselves to be coached hard. That’s not a knock on our previous teams. But these guys get it: There are certain standards. When I first got here, you’d ask a kid to jump, and they’d ask why. As you develop relationships, they’ll ask how high. Now, when I walk out onto the practice field, they’ll just keep jumping. No questions asked. They’ve really bought in. Whatever we need to do.
Entering your sixth year, you’re the face of that culture.
As much as I don’t like to be, I understand that. Most college programs are synonymous with who their head coach is. It’s different in the NFL. I couldn’t name 16 of 32 head coaches. But I can name every SEC coach, every Big Ten coach.
With the amount of roster turnover, how do you balance recruiting high school talent with the transfer portal? Do you have staff who focus on each separately?
We still recruit high school players. There are a lot of programs that have given up on it. We’re signing more than 20 high school players every year. With the success we’ve had developing high school kids, do we sign even more? I think you need a plan for long-term success. That’s the only way to do it: recruit high school kids who fit and know what we want. You get to know high school kids better, too. Recruiting in the transfer portal is speed-dating.
Most commitments occur during junior year. You get to understand their academics, their mental makeup. Talk with their coaches, see their senior year. And then they sign a scholarship, saying they want to come. You have a better understanding. We don’t miss on character when we recruit high school kids. With the transfer portal, we have staff that focuses just on that. Agents are calling [year-round].
A football coach in 2025 needs to manage a budget for his roster. How have you adapted to NIL (name/image/likeness) and revenue sharing?
You saw this coming. I’m ultimately responsible for our budget. Not only the budget with players, but how much are we spending on recruiting, on food. As costs increase on everything, I’ve got to be cognizant. Understanding players who bring value … roster retention is the biggest thing for us at Memphis. Then ultimately, are there players out there who can make us better? We’ve had players who came from big programs who weren’t the right fit. We want them to be the right fit from a culture standpoint. Dealing with the financial aspect, that’s part of it. Last time I used an Excel file, I was an economics student in college. We have a strong support staff. Me with a [financial] sheet on my desk alone is not the way to do it.
Are you comfortable with the program’s budget?
I am. We’ve been fortunate, with FedEx. With [athletic director] Ed Scott and [U of M president] Bill Hardgrave, proponents of making sure we’re okay with NIL. We’re making strides in the right direction. It used to be who had the best facilities. Now, can you get more money?
Seth Henigan was a steady, successful constant at quarterback for four seasons. What can we expect this fall with the transition?
We’ll never replace Seth. [Henigan’s 14,266 passing yards rank him 13th in FBS history.] But it was the same when Brady White left. “You’ll never replace Brady.” We have three guys we feel are capable, truly an open competition. Brendon Lewis [a transfer from Nevada] has started 35 games, entering his sixth year of college football. He and Arrington Maiden are both big, strong, powerful. They can both run really well, elusive. Then you look at AJ Hill [the fifth-ranked quarterback in his recruiting class] who has worked his tail off. Intelligent, elite arm strength. He’s big, will look like Ben Roethlisberger when he’s finished growing. The cupboard is not bare. If Lewis is the guy [this year], we have a succession plan.
How quick will your trigger be if you need to make a change at quarterback?
Again, they’re all capable. Early in the season, you don’t want to shuffle that position. People are going to make mistakes. Seth made plenty. Whoever we go with, we’ll ride the horse. And see what he’s capable of.
How important is an American Conference championship, an item you haven’t checked off since your arrival five years ago?
People ask me about the playoffs. You don’t have a chance at a playoff spot without that conference championship. It’s far and away the most important thing. Fans have said, “Man, that Arkansas game is important to us.” Last year, it was going down and beating Florida State. No, it’s not the only game that matters. I think about the conference championship; it keeps me up at night. The only goal we have as a team is the conference championship. We don’t talk about specific games. We gotta do more, work harder.
But as we get deep into training camp, we don’t talk about the championship anymore. All that matters is beating UT-Chattanooga. If you think past the next game, you’ll get beaten. No one cares about that Arkansas game if we’re 1-2.
The disparity between revenue at the power conferences and the American is significant, and it’s public. How do you weigh this (and share it) when trying to convince a player that Memphis is the right program?
It will always start with relationships. Why did [offensive coordinator] Tim Cramsey decide to stay? Why did I decide to stay when I was an assistant under Norvell? Because you believe in something. Our players are the same way. If you asked any of our players about me, I hope it would bring something positive. “He’s on us. He cares about us, and we’re going to get our degree.”
Also, we’re transparent with players. It’s gonna be hard. We’re gonna work. You’ll get your education. We’re not taking pictures in front of Lamborghinis. We’ll talk about film. We’ll have parents over to my house. There will always be someone with more money, someone with nicer things. A bigger boat. That’s the nature of this. But our players have bought into the way we treat them.
Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium has already been transformed, with significant changes coming. Can the stadium help the program reach a “next level,” however that’s defined?
What we’re doing with the stadium: first-class program, all around. Ten-win seasons. Highest graduation rate in the conference. It all goes hand-in-hand. Football wasn’t all that important to a lot of people in this city. Now we have a $226 million renovation to our stadium. It’s a huge step.
Does the stadium matter to players?
It does, but you know what else matters? Having fans in the stadium. The party decks, the plaza, better tailgating. These are exciting times. The student apartments going up on South Campus. We’re making the most of where we are as we get ready for the 2025 season.
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The Silverfield Era
2020
8-3 … won Montgomery Bowl
2021
6-6 … Hawaii Bowl cancelled (Covid)
2022
7-6 … won First Responder Bowl
2023
10-3 … won AutoZone Liberty Bowl
2024
11-2 … won Frisco Bowl
…
The Power of 10
The Memphis program has now enjoyed six 10-win seasons, five of them since 2014.
1938
10-0 (coach Allyn McKeen)
2014
10-3 (Justin Fuente)
2017
10-3 (Mike Norvell)
2019
12-2 (Mike Norvell)
2023
10-3 (Ryan Silverfield)
2024
11-2 (Ryan Silverfield)
…
2025 Tiger Football Schedule
Aug. 30 — CHATTANOOGA
Sept. 6 — at Georgia State
Sept. 13 — at Troy
Sept. 20 — ARKANSAS
Sept. 27 — at Florida Atlantic
Oct. 4 — TULSA
Oct. 18 — at UAB
Oct. 25 — USF
Oct. 31 (Fri.) — at Rice
Nov. 7 (Fri.) — TULANE
Nov. 15 — at East Carolina
Nov. 27 (Thanksgiving) — NAVY