Memphis Football begins spring training and is looking for new playmakers
Roster rotation is one of Memphis football coach Ryan Silverfield’s favorite words over the past two years. This spring, he’s navigating a list with more new faces and questions than perhaps at any time in his tenure.
Four of the Tigers’ top five receivers have changed, and with spring training starting Sunday, a key question is how the Tigers will rebuild their offense around quarterback Seth Henigan. Silverfield has to wait and see.
“You never want to make a quick reaction or overstate it, right,” Silverfield said. “Every single one of us coaches will say, ‘Wow, this guy makes the difference, or this guy can’t help us. We’ve got 15 chances to do that…when we start putting the pads on, (we’ll) get a chance to see what we’re about.”
All-AAC tight end Caden Prieskorn (Ole Miss) made the substitution, as did running back Asa Martin (Troy) and starting receivers Eddie Lewis (South Carolina) and Javon Ivory (South Alabama). Receiver Gabe Rogers has exhausted his eligibility. These five players represented 71.4% of the Tigers’ total revenue last season and 55.1% of their all-purpose yards.
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How are they going to fix this? It begins with leading rusher Jevyon Ducker returning along with receivers Joseph Scates and Roc Taylor. Speaking on the transfer portal, offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey said the team is prioritizing players who had significant experience at their previous schools.
Recipients Tauskie Dove and DeMeer Blankumsee made contributions in Missouri and Toledo, respectively. Blake Watson led Old Dominion in a rush for the past two seasons. Junior college signee Marcello Bussey had solid numbers (455 yards, three touchdowns) at Hutchinson Community College last season.
But Cramsey noticed another priority. Speed. Something Memphis lacked last season when Calvin Austin III was gone.
“I think now without seeing live football with these guys we’ve got people around Seth who are faster and more athletic,” Cramsey said. “Possibly guys you can throw a five-yard pass at and turn it into a 15-20-yard win.”
The Tigers had just 29 plays of scrimmage that went at least 30 yards last season, the fewest on the program since 2014. Scates is one of the team’s fastest players, but he’ll need more help in downfield, and that’s where Memphis is hoping to improve to improve.
Henigan saw the increase in speed as he practiced more with the receivers this winter. It was the first time he worked primarily with the players in the skill positions during the off-season, and it helped build early chemistry.
“I wanted to be with them more, so I trained with them,” Henigan said. “Just getting to know them and dealing with them will help our game evolve into what we want, which is even better than it’s been in years past.”
Ducker, Scates and Taylor will continue to fight to keep their spots. Cramsey said Ducker has improved in drills knowing Watson has been pushing him. Junior running back Brandon Thomas is also included as he recovers from a season-ending injury.
But who will finally prevail remains to be seen. The Tigers’ hunt for playmakers will continue into August, but with on-field evaluations taking place for the first time on Sunday, Silverfield was fine with being patient while the search unfolded.
“Let me come by day five and I think we’ll have an idea then. Sometimes the dust settles,” Silverfield said. “There’s also people who see it, feel it and suddenly it really slows down for them and they can speed up their process (for) how it looks on the field.”
