University of Memphis football coach Ryan Silverfield is tired of answering questions about the pandemic, the transfer portal, and NILs (name-image-likeness deals for student athletes). But here’s the thing: He’ll keep answering those questions, and with a smile on his face. Because that’s college football today. The case could be made that the sport has changed more since Silverfield took over the Tiger program — in December 2019 — than it did over the previous three decades. Recruiting is different (what kind of NIL possibilities exist?). Retaining players is a new challenge (that pesky portal). And graduating players? Keeping a standout running back for four (or five) seasons? You must be thinking of 2018.
“This is my 24th year of coaching,” notes Silverfield. “And the last three years have changed [the profession] dramatically. Not just for a head coach. The game has changed so much itself. That’s been what’s so dynamic. Who would have thought my first few months on the job would be the most normal? [Silverfield made his debut at the 2019 Cotton Bowl after his predecessor, Mike Norvell, departed for Florida State.] I couldn’t call [Alabama coach] Nick Saban up and ask how he dealt with a pandemic. I couldn’t call [LSU coach] Brian Kelly and ask how he handled the transfer portal in 1989. How did coaches deal with NIL in the late ’90s? We’re in a different, ever-changing game. When will we ever be able to just talk football? I don’t know if we’ll be on that trajectory anytime soon. Every coach is dealing with it.
“So the only constant is change. With a little bit of patience — as a man and a coach — I understand that every day something new will occur. You better adapt and adjust and get on the bus, or you’re going to get run over. We’re trying to stay ahead of it, to be proactive. And I believe we’re doing that here. The game’s hard enough. When you’re working 100 hours a week, to get frustrated does you no good. There’s a lot. Nobody’s going to feel sorry for a head coach who makes a good salary and gets to live his dream. But it’s changed.”
The 2021 Memphis Tigers, it can be said, broke even. They won six games and lost six. (Memphis hasn’t had a losing season since 2013.) They scored 30.1 points per game (a total that ranked 52nd among 130 FBS teams), and allowed 29.2. They were strong at home (5-2) but weak on the road (1-4). Most troubling, Memphis finished 3-5 in the American Athletic Conference, well short of a primary goal every season: winning the AAC championship. The Tigers qualified for a bowl game for the eighth season in a row (the Hawaii Bowl), but the game was canceled when their opponent (the University of Hawaii) had a Covid outbreak the day before kickoff. Silverfield’s second season as a head coach was decent, but he doesn’t hesitate in emphasizing Memphis football should be better.
“It starts with me,” says Silverfield. “I’ve got to be better. We were 3-0 after beating Mississippi State and up 21-0 on a UTSA team that went 12-2. We had a pair of injuries and our 18-year-old quarterback threw a pick-six. At that point, the kids looked up and felt there was a chink in the armor. We were never over-confident, but we must stay healthy. We had 47 guys out last season at some point. We played 27 freshmen and redshirt-freshmen. On paper, we’ve put together the best back-to-back recruiting classes in the program’s history, so that bodes well for the future.”
Silverfield acknowledges the most common factor in a good program going sour for a stretch of time. “We turned the ball over too much,” he notes. “We fumbled the ball inside the one-yard line against Temple. Then again on the 15. Two different running backs. We have to do a better job of establishing the run. We’ve been a rotational backfield, more so than I ever wanted. It will sort itself out through camp. Asa Martin has come on the last two seasons. Rodrigues Clark has shown some flashes but has to be more consistent. Brandon Thomas, when healthy and well, has been a force to be reckoned with. [Thomas led Memphis with 669 rushing yards last season.] Marquavius Weaver started against Navy [last year]. We need to have two or three we can rely on heavily. I don’t want to play six running backs. It’s a wide-open competition.”
One position the Tigers did not rotate a year ago is quarterback. When Arizona transfer Grant Gunnell was sidelined by injury shortly before the season opener, freshman Seth Henigan — merely nine months after his last high school game — took command of the Memphis offense. He completed 60 percent of his passes for 3,322 yards and tossed 25 touchdown passes (with eight interceptions). Silverfield is counting on an even better Henigan in 2022.
“What allowed Seth to play so well as a freshman are his maturity and intelligence,” says Silverfield. “He has a lot of tools. But he threw three pick-sixes and at times played like a true freshman. Part of that is growing pains, but we saw growth every single game. It may not have resulted in the best completion percentage, but in recognizing situations: ‘Did you see where that safety was?’ He’s got more comfort now. It’s not just studying the playbook. Grasp the offense, but grow in year two. He’s had a full offseason in the weight room, getting his body right.”
“I’ve gained 15 pounds since last season,” says Henigan. “That should help me withstand hits, stay in the pocket, and deliver strikes. And knowing I’m the starter … that’s a good feeling. Building chemistry, and not splitting reps [in practice]. The experience from last year will benefit me this season and in the long run. We have a lot of kids capable of having a breakout season. Our receiving corps is really deep; our offensive line is more experienced. We should be pretty dynamic, fun to watch.”
The Tigers’ biggest loss from a season ago is wideout Calvin Austin III. The speed demon will now split coverages for the Pittsburgh Steelers after being drafted in the fourth round of April’s NFL draft. But Silverfield likes the group of receivers Henigan will be targeting this fall. What they may lack when compared with Austin’s flaming speed, they make up for with collective size. “This is the most depth we’ve had at wide receiver since I’ve been at Memphis. Javon Ivory has shown production. People are expecting big things from Gabe Rogers.” Joe Scates (a transfer from Iowa State) will be in the mix, as will Eddie Lewis (four touchdowns last season). Sophomore Roc Taylor brings the kind of size (6’2”, 225 lbs.) that can punish defensive backs.
“The size [of our receivers] will stretch the field,” notes Silverfield. Caden Prieskorn should get the majority of snaps at tight end, and he checks in at 6’6”, 255 lbs. He’ll actually have a size advantage on some of the edge rushers Memphis faces.
In looking at the Tiger defense, let’s start with the secondary, where safety Quindell Johnson returns for what he hopes will be a third-straight all-conference season. (Motivation? Johnson was named second-team All-AAC each of the last two years.) Johnson’s 66 solo tackles were 17th in all of college football last season, but the numbers merely approximate his value to the Memphis cause.
“Quindell Johnson is the leader of our team,” says Silverfield. “The leader of our defense, certainly. Intelligent. Had the opportunity to go to the NFL, but decided to come back and compete. He cares, lives at the football complex. Could have transferred, but he stayed here. Loyal to the program. His family raised him right. Usually when I get a text from a parent, it’s negative. But his mom will text me just to say, ‘Hope your day is going all right. I know you have a lot on your plate.’ He’ll need to continue to make plays on the ball. Our new defensive scheme will suit him. He wants to win. It’s not just about improving his draft stock. Let’s win a championship. I admire that in him.”
Johnson relishes the chance to win a conference championship before his Tiger days are complete. (He graduated with a degree in business management last December and is now working toward a master’s degree.) “We have new guys, new coaching staff,” he notes, “and I’m just excited to see how it plays out. Playing football with the people I love.” Johnson refuses to name the teammates who will impact this year’s defense, insisting fans will need to “watch all of us.” Johnson’s offseason was spent building a more complete football player, as he puts it: “Getting faster, stronger, working on my technique, being a student of the game.”
And for those wondering why Johnson stayed despite alternatives, a program’s culture made the difference. “I’ve been so loyal,” emphasizes Johnson. “This program has given me nothing but love. I was in a situation where I didn’t need to leave. I’m somewhere I know I can play; I’m comfortable. The love the city’s given me … it’s unconditional.”
Johnson may be the most decorated, but the Tiger defense will have veterans at every level, with fifth-year seniors on the line (Wardalis Ducksworth), at linebacker (Xavier Cullens and Tyler Murray), and in the secondary (Rodney Owens). Even a sophomore like cornerback Greg Rubin — in 2020 a senior at White Station High School — brings experience, having started 11 games as a true freshman. “It’s maturity and confidence,” says Silverfield when asked how Rubin made an impact so quickly. “He’s shown an ability to work. Had the opportunity to go elsewhere, but stayed home and has found success.”
The Tigers will take the field for their opener at Mississippi State under the guidance of a new offensive coordinator (Tim Cramsey joins the program after four years at Marshall) and a new defensive coordinator (Matt Barnes arrives after three years at Ohio State). When asked for a connecting thread between the two hires, Silverfield says, “They’re great teachers.” Having interviewed seven candidates for each position, Silverfield chose men he feels can match his players when it comes to energy and passion.
“They’re dynamic,” says Silverfield. “They both bring energy, both have a chip on their shoulder. They have an underdog mentality and want to prove how good we can be, how great their units can be. When I interviewed [Barnes], he was getting all sweaty, uptight, jumpy. I said, ‘All right, this guy gets it.’ He wants to prove what he’s capable of.”
Silverfield sees the larger picture of college football’s shifting landscape. USC and UCLA are leaving the Pac-12 for the Big Ten, for crying out loud. We can erase the word geography from any equation measuring a program’s value for one “power conference” or another. The AAC is losing three of its top programs — UCF, Houston, and Cincinnati — after the 2022-23 academic year. Joining the AAC are programs that won’t exactly sell football tickets by themselves: UAB, Rice, UTSA, Charlotte, North Texas, and FAU. (If it feels like the old Conference USA days, it should.)
“We want to be in the best conference for football,” says Silverfield. “Football is the driving force [of revenue for an athletic department]. It’s ever-changing. We’re doing things the right way, with some of the best facilities in the country. We’re pouring money into [significant] renovations of Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. Back-to-back years, we’ve had the highest graduation rate of any football program in our conference. All those things will put us on display, and we’ll see what the future entails. We want to play at the highest level we can.”
Before Seth Henigan was born, a 6-6 season may have been welcomed in these parts. But Memphis football has new standards now, and the sophomore quarterback is here to meet them. “I’m trying to get us back at least to the top of the AAC,” says Henigan. “The standard at Memphis is a level of excellence, grit, grind, and all that stuff. We work really hard, but we need to prove it on Saturdays. Nobody really cares if we don’t win on Saturdays.”