Silverfield’s tenure
Memphis coach’s quarterback decision will define his time with the Tigers, writes Mark Giannotto.
Ryan Silverfield sat in front of the camera relieved and ready to revel Wednesday night. Memphis had completed this pandemic-altered college football season – his first full season as a head coach – with its first bowl win since 2014.
“This is hopefully not the best record I have during my tenure at Memphis, and hopefully not the most memorable bowl win,” Silverfield said, “but what it will be is probably my most memorable season because of all the things we faced.”
He said all this knowing the Tigers' well-coordinated plan for replacing quarterback Brady White was about to be put in motion.
About 12 hours after the Arizona State transfer who rewrote the Memphis football record book for quarterbacks officially announced he was moving on to pursue an NFL career, a highly touted transfer who started at quarterback for Arizona announced he would be coming to Memphis.
The timing was impeccable.
Just like when White arrived here in January 2018, Grant Gunnell instantly became the frontrunner to be White's successor based on his credentials. But whoever emerges from the quarterback competition that is sure to be the focal point of this offseason, the decision will define Silverfield's tenure at Memphis, no matter how satisfying this eight-win campaign feels at the moment.
It's easy to make Tiger football's unprecedented run of success the past seven years more complicated than it actually has been.
Memphis hit on two-straight coaches (Justin Fuente and Mike Norvell) and hired a third who just ended an encouraging first full season on the job. It also hit on three-straight quarterbacks (Paxton Lynch, Riley Ferguson and White), with each one more prolific than the next.
There's an obvious correlation between the two. Without a good quarterback, it's hard to be a good head coach. Without a good head coach, it's hard to develop a good quarterback.
That's why Gunnell's decision to come to Memphis felt like a touchstone moment for Silverfield. It put Memphis in position for another smooth transition under center. But it also put the spotlight squarely on Silverfield, to see how he handles the quarterback position moving forward.
Gunnell will now be the favorite to be named starter because he's a 6foot-6 high school All-american who completed better than 66 percent of his passes for 1,864 yards, 15 touchdowns and three interceptions in 12 games at Arizona.
He did not transfer from a starting gig in the Pac-12 to be a backup at Memphis.
But LSU transfer Peter Parrish, current backup Keilon Brown, incoming freshman Seth Henigan, former Austin Peay quarterback Jeremiah Oatsvall, and perhaps more, could also be in the mix.
Recent history suggests, however, that most of them won't be here after Silverfield picks a starter from the bunch. That's what happened with White.
Every backup he ever had during his three years at Memphis eventually transferred, aside from Brown. And Brown only assumed the back-up role because Connor Adair left mid-season this year.
It's just the nature of the position in today's college football landscape. Quarterbacks come and go if they can't get on the field.
This, of course, magnifies what comes next for Silverfield. This is a decision that will determine his longevity as a head coach much more so than this year will.
The way a head coach manages the quarterback position is usually a sign of how successful he's going to be. Just look across the state at Tennessee, where Jeremy Pruitt can't seem to find a good quarterback and can't seem to stick with one, either. It's no coincidence he's on the hot seat.
This year was easy for Silverfield in that regard. He masterfully convinced White to return even after Norvell left for Florida State a year ago, and there was no reason to go with anyone but the doctorate student who became the owner of almost every significant passing record at Memphis this season.
But now Silverfield is retooling the roster for next season.
Over the past two weeks, he signed the highest-rated recruiting class in Memphis football history and got three transfers from Power Five conference schools that would have been the highest-rated prospects in Memphis football history had they signed with the Tigers out of high school. In addition to Gunnell, the Tigers also brought in offensive lineman Devontae Dobbs and defensive back Julian Barnett from Michigan State.
But without the right quarterback under center, the impact of all these promising signs will be severely diminished. Take the transition from Norvell to Silverfield.
If not for the record-setting exploits of White, if not for his clutch fourthquarter drives, Memphis probably loses to UCF, USF and Houston.
Suddenly, Silverfield's first year would have gone from eight wins to an under .500 record. Suddenly, the relief and the joy he felt after the Montgomery Bowl win would have instead been replaced by the same anxiety he felt navigating through this season defined by its COVID-19 protocols.
So while Silverfield will always remember this year, his tenure as the Memphis football coach will be remembered by who he picks as the next Memphis quarterback.
You can reach Commercial Appeal columnist Mark Giannotto via email at mgiannotto@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter: @mgiannotto