Why Ryan Silverfield's replacement is most important hire in Memphis history

Memphis football is at a crossroads.

The Tigers need a new football coach after the surprising departure of Ryan Silverfield to Arkansas on Nov. 30. It's a position they probably didn't expect to be in as recently as a couple of days ago, especially considering it was well-publicized that Arkansas had targeted and even reportedly offered the job to USF coach Alex Golesh.

But Golesh went to Auburn, which chose to hire him over interim coach DJ Durkin after Auburn narrowly lost to rival Alabama in the Iron Bowl on Nov. 29. The end of that game — including Auburn's fumble late in the fourth quarter that ultimately sealed it for the Crimson Tide — could end up being a massive sliding doors moment for a slew of programs, including Memphis.

The deal for Silverfield to leave came together quickly, and Memphis had players on official visits this weekend as the news was breaking. Some players had planned to meet with him on Monday to discuss their futures as the postseason begins. Roster retention will now be a key issue for the next coach.

As for the immediate future: Athletic director Ed Scott now has a crucial decision to make at a critical time. This might be the most important hire in Memphis athletics history.

"We are excited about the future of Memphis Football and the momentum of our program," Scott said in a statement. "A national search for our next head coach is underway, and we are committed to finding a leader who reflects our values, prioritizes student-athlete development, and shares our vision for elevating the program nationally.”

Why timing is so important for Memphis

The American Conference is going to look a lot different in 2026. North Texas, Tulane, USF and Memphis all will have new coaches after Eric Morris, Jon Sumrall, Golesh and Silverfield left for power conference jobs. The American Conference champion is positioned to go to the College Football Playoff, and that'll be the case again next season.

Silverfield won plenty of games at Memphis, but he never got the entire fan base on board because he never reached the conference title game, something they have not played in since 2019, when he replaced Mike Norvell, who had left for Florida State.

The first few years of Silverfield's reign came with UCF, Cincinnati, Houston and SMU in the conference. But even with all those teams gone, Memphis has failed to reach its goal. That happened despite the fact it is as well-resourced as any team in the conference and in the Group of Five as a whole. He routinely put together a recruiting class that rivaled that of some power conference teams and was the best in the Group of Five.

Those resources will be there for the next coach.

Urgency will be there immediately for Memphis

There's no reason why we can't expect Memphis — even without a coach or a roster — to compete for a spot in the College Football Playoff next season. With the way transfer portal recruiting works, it's possible to revamp an entire roster in a single offseason.

This won't be a long-term rebuild. The next coach will be expected to win — immediately.

There no doubt will be other moves before next season. Both offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey and defensive coordinator Jordon Hankins have received interest from other teams in the past few seasons and have put together units that consistently rank at or near the top of the conference. Memphis finished third in scoring offense and second in scoring defense in the conference in 2025.

Several key players have decisions to make. Although they can't enter the transfer portal until a new coach is hired, QB AJ Hill, running back Sutton Smith, left guard Malachi Breland and safety Kamari Wilson will be among those likely to receive power conference interest, and also retention targets for the new staff.

How conference realignment factors into Memphis' hiring decision

Scott has made it clear that his top goal is to get Memphis into a power conference. The Tigers have built plenty of momentum in their athletic department with investment from FedEx and will be opening a fully renovated Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium at the start of the 2026 season.

That occasion is also going to be the opening game for Memphis' next coach, which gives the Tigers a chance to create even more momentum as they continue their push to get out of the American. Power conferences aren't going to unilaterally take Memphis because one Tigers team has a good season or even goes to the CFP, but it certainly wouldn't hurt.

Under Silverfield, they had been in a steady spot with a high floor and a low ceiling. Both of those are now gone.

The future looks uncertain, maybe scary. The Tigers could bottom out.

Or at this time next year, they could be preparing to play on championship weekend for the first time this decade.

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

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Why Memphis football is at crossroads with Ryan Silverfield's departure