Norvell talks expectations ahead of AAC Media Days

In his fourth season, Memphis coach Mike Norvell knows the Tigers won’t sneak up on anybody this year, not after two seasons of producing top-five offenses and four NFL Draft picks.

Norvell said after spring practice that he saw a team hungry to improve. As he heads to Newport, Rhode Island, for AAC Media Days on Monday and Tuesday, he wants that attitude to show up again when practice begins Aug. 2.

“The problem that you can get into within a program that’s achieved success is you can get complacent with what you’ve done being acceptable,” Norvell said.

“I want guys to be uncomfortable and be concerned about their performance with everything that they do.”

With two weeks before practice, Norvell discussed his outlook for the team, some of his biggest concerns and also how he plans to fill the prolific shoes of running backs Darrell Henderson and Tony Pollard.

Running back depth

With Henderson and Pollard in the NFL, one of the Tigers’ biggest question marks is who will take carries alongside senior Patrick Taylor.

Taylor, who rushed for 1,122 yards, is one of four players accompanying Norvell to Media Day along with linebacker Austin Hall, offensive lineman Dustin Woodard and receiver Pop Williams.

Freshman Kenneth Gainwell and sophomore Kylan Watkins had strong showings in the spring, and Gainwell

benefited from playing four games last year before redshirting.

Fellow sophomore Tim Taylor missed most the spring with an injury but dropped close to 20 pounds, and Norvell said he’s had a good summer.

A name to watch in the competition is incoming freshman Rodrigues Clark. The 6-foot, 200-pound back from Starkville, Mississippi, has impressed with his running ability to match his strong frame.

“He definitely looks the part. He’s a big, strong, athletic young man,” Norvell said. “I think he’s going to be able to put himself in the conversation to be able to make an impact for us early.”

Sophomore Marquavius Weaver and freshman Cameron Fleming also will compete to get carries.

Even though Taylor will assume a greater load this year, the key is finding who will be consistent enough to get playing time. Gainwell and Watkins' versatility as pass catchers gives them an early lead, but Norvell said he's eager to see how it plays out in fall practice

“We knew we were getting special players when we were recruiting them,” Norvell said of the running backs. “It’s just (seeing) how quick they’re going to be able to make that transition.”

Avoiding complacency

Even with the running back question, Norvell’s biggest concern heading into the fall isn’t any specific position. It’s his team's attitude

Memphis probably will be favored to win the AAC West when the preseason media poll comes out Tuesday. That will add to ESPN and Athlon Sports predicting the Tigers to win at least nine games.

But there’s still unfinished business. While the Tigers have had the best three-year span in school history with 26 wins, they’ve yet to win an AAC championship or a bowl game on Norvell’s watch.

They also lost four games last season – to UCF twice, Navy and Wake Forest – where they had double digit leads.

So what’s different this year? Norvell believes there’s more leadership showing up than last year, when he often noted how he was waiting to see players step up to that role.

“I think that’s one of the areas last year with being such a young football team that we lacked at times,” Norvell said. “Leadership’s got to emerge regardless of what the circumstance is, and that’s something that I think I’m seeing from our players and from our coaching staff.”

With 15 returning starters, there’s no shortage of experience keeping players in check.

But can the Tigers turn their hunger into results? That’s what Norvell hopes to see in two weeks

“It’s hard to continue to sustain success, but we feel that’s something that in every aspect of our program, we have to continue to stay focused on,” Norvell said. “I think with the talent we have on this team, with the leadership, with the coaching staff we’ve been able to attract here, good things are going to happen.”

You can reach Tigers football beat writer Evan Barnes on Twitter (@Evan_b) or by email at evan.barnes@commercialappeal.com