Following Saturday’s loss to UTSA, evaluations of the current state of the University of Memphis Football program under Coach Ryan Silverfield. Since taking over the job before the Cotton Bowl in 2019, Coach Silverfield has gone 31-19 with four bowl wins as the Head Coach of the Memphis Tigers, including a historic AutoZone Liberty Bowl win over Iowa State last season to give Memphis another 10-win season, his first as Head Coach of the Tigers. Some will point to the lack of American Athletic Championships as the downside of the program’s lack of success within conference play. However, four bowl wins are the most for any coach in the program’s history.

Both arguments are valid; on one side, something is missing regarding how the Tigers win games or how they seem to take a bad loss or two as the season progresses. Saturday was evidence of that when the Tigers went on the road to UTSA and were embarrassed by the Roadrunners. This created the mess the Tigers faced this week as the fan base turned against one another in hopes of figuring out the correct future for Memphis Football.

Although correct in their feelings, compared to where Memphis Football was before the success of the last ten years, Coach Silverfield has kept the postseason streak alive, brought an AutoZone Liberty Bowl Championship to the program, and has brought on some of the best recruiting classes in program history with the additions of highly sought after transfer portal guys who choose to come to Memphis over the likeness of several Southeastern Conference schools.

For many old-school Memphis Football fans, the current state of the program is one that many never imagined possible, as the Tigers are now among one of the best nonpower-give football programs in the country; sure, the ball might not go in the Tigers’ favor every game, but every season, Memphis Football has the potential to reach even newer heights, with the possibility of reaching the expanded College Football Playoff in the very near future. Only after proven otherwise would Memphis be foolish to get rid of the man who has taken Memphis and run with the program, continuing to build off the groundwork laid by Coach Tommy West.

Coach Silverfield provides Memphis Football with sustained success, giving the program a chance each year to compete for a spot in the College Football Playoff and the American Athletic Championship. There are a lot of programs that would give anything to have the level of sustained success of the Tigers, where each season guarantees at least wins, with a product that provides entertainment in the way of winning football to the fan base. Losses come and go, but until the Tigers miss the postseason or take a lapse in recruiting, Coach Ryan Silverfield is the man for the job to take Memphis Football into the future.

Photo Credits – Memphis Football on X