Memphis Faces Crucial Crossroads: Inside the Unexpected Strategy After Ryan Silverfield’s Exit

The Memphis Tigers football program has been riding a whirlwind lately—Shakeups hitting fast and hard. When Ryan Silverfield bolted for Arkansas shortly after the regular season wrapped, it set off a chain reaction of uncertainty and doubt, right before the crucial early signing period. Enter Reggie Howard, the interim head coach and former defensive backs mentor, who suddenly found himself the steady hand tasked with holding a flustered but determined recruiting class together. Despite the storm, Memphis managed to keep most of its recruits in the fold, signing 18 players, underlining the resilience deeply embedded in the team’s culture. Then came the unveiling of Charles Huff, fresh from Southern Miss, ready to steer the ship—but his debut must wait until after the Tigers face NC State in the Gasparilla Bowl. What’s remarkable here isn’t just the shuffling of coaches or the fleeting instability, but the players’ grit and the staff’s unwavering commitment to maintain momentum, keeping the faith in a program that’s known how to win. LEARN MORE

There’s been plenty of upheaval over the past week and a half for Memphis football.

It kicked off when Ryan Silverfield left for Arkansas on Nov. 30, three days after the Tigers’ regular-season finale against Navy. The early signing period was three days later, and interim coach Reggie Howard was tasked with keeping together a recruiting class that had plenty of questions about the future of the program.

Memphis ultimately held most of its class together, losing only a handful of commitments to other schools and signing 18 players.

“The biggest thing was just letting them know that they needed to trust that we were going to find the right head coach and letting them know that the culture is here,” Howard said on Dec. 11. “Memphis has built a tradition of winning over the past decade.”

That coach turned out to be Charles Huff. The former Southern Miss coach was introduced Dec. 10, but he won’t take over until after Memphis (8-4) faces NC State (7-5) in the Gasparilla Bowl on Dec. 19 (1:30 p.m., ESPN) in Tampa, Florida. Howard will coach that game, and the former Memphis player — who had served as defensive backs coach before being elevated to interim head coach — called it a “dream come true.”

“I give kudos to these players,” Howard said. “They’re very, very resilient. They’re a bunch of fighters. I think initially it stunned a lot of us, but I think once we were able to let the know that the process would be a fast process as far as identifying our next head coach and once that was solidified, I think that stabilized things.”

There have been more changes since Silverfield left. Offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey, receivers coach Larry Smith and offensive line coach Jeff Myers have left the team and are expected to join Silverfield’s staff at Arkansas. Tight ends coach Brad Salem and quarterbacks coach Mitch Stewart will be co-offensive coordinators for the game, Howard said.

Howard said he’s “very interested” in remaining with the Tigers as part of Huff’s staff, but won’t have those discussions until after the bowl game. Huff is not expected to be with the team in Tampa but is working on building out his staff.

Though the Tigers fell short of their championship expectations this season, they still have one more game to send the seniors out with a win. Howard said quarterback Brendon Lewis and defensive lineman William Whitlow Jr. have been instrumental in holding the Tigers together ahead of the bowl game.

“I’ve been through stuff like this all the time,” Lewis said. “So I wasn’t really surprised when it happened. Whit’s older too, so we kind of just said, ‘This is what happens in college football. And you can either feel sorry for yourself and boohoo or you can just take it on the chin and keep moving forward and keep getting better no matter who’s coaching, no matter who’s in the building.”

Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at [email protected] or on X @thejonahdylan.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: How Memphis interim coach Reggie Howard is preparing for bowl game