Silverfield preaches patience ahead of Tigers’ spring practice
Memphis football starts spring practice Sunday and coach Ryan Silverfield knows it’ll be as much introduction as it is teaching.
With 25 newcomers, three new assistants, and 15 starters gone, there’ll be work to integrate talent to help the Tigers bounce back from a 7-6 season. There’s also playmakers on offense who need to emerge around quarterback Seth Henigan.
Here’s five key things Silverfield said at his coaches luncheon on Wednesday.
Patient spring
Silverfield knows the spring will have some push-and-pull getting players on the same page. So he was fine preaching patience instead of trying to figure everything out in a month.
For returners like starting defensive lineman Jaylon Allen and cornerback Greg Rubin, there’s more who have to step up to fight for bigger roles. For the transfers, it’s learning a new system on the field. So don’t expect instant results as there’s a lot of uncertainty to sort out.
“If we’re a point we feel like we’re getting away from what we lead us to ultimate success and basic fundamentals of what we are? Take a deep breath, let’s pause and make sure we’re on the same page,” Silverfield said.
An older squad
Memphis entered last season 12th in the nation with 70.5% of its roster being underclassmen. Silverfield often said that despite a depth chart with experienced players, youth was a concern. Not this season.
With 20 out of 25 newcomers being transfers or junior college signees, age won’t be an issue. Neither will experience since a good chunk of the Tigers’ transfers played significant reps at their former schools.
“I don’t feel like we’re a young team anymore,” Silverfield said. “We do have a complimentary mix of different type of players in different age groups.”
Speedy additions
The Memphis offense last season lacked the same spped compared to past seasons. The coaches knew it and that was a priority in the transfer portal to replace their three leading receivers.
Both Silverfield and offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey praised new receiver Demeer Blankumsee’s speed. Returning receiver Joseph Scates showed his speed last season but struggled with consistency. So the spring will be key to see if that pop returns to the Tigers’ passing game.
Seth Henigan’s next steps
Henigan turned 20 years old last Friday but he’ll enter his third spring with the Tigers. He had growing moments in a rough sophomore season and he’ll be expected to lead an offense with almost all new players around him.
Silverfield wasn’t worried about any regression in his quarterbacks.. There’s confidence that Henigan fully knows the offense and now it’s just being sharper with players looking to him for guidance.
“It’s no longer just about understanding the offense, how to read defenses, it’s how do we make that growth,” Silverfield said. “Spring is a wonderful time for that because we really hone in on the techniques and fundamentals (since) he’s got a firm understanding of what want to see.”
Strength up front
The defensive line got bigger with three transfers in senior Josh Ellison (Oklahoma), junior Adarious Jones (Texas A&M) and junior college signee Derick Hunter Jr. Both Jones and Ellison weigh 300 pounds and are expected to help at interior line.
Silverfield noted those three can have an “immediate impact” given their experience. The Tigers lost a key part of their run defense with Cam’ron Jackson transferring to Florida and now they’ve added more bulk to help shore that up.