Realization came not in venerable Liberty Stadium, nor on a practice field.
Hundreds of miles, in fact, from the Bluff City.
Memphis stamped its arrival as more than another one-year-cameo performer in college football deep in the heart of Texas.
Ryan Silverfield, the program’s fifth-year leader and one-time student-assistant coach as a high school senior, recently remembered the moment.
“I think it was being down in Texas two years ago, recruiting, and even last offseason talking to some high school coaches,” Silverfield told FootballScoop. “It’s refreshing to hear, ‘Hey, you guys have a really good program.’ That’s different. The team changes every year. Teams go up and down like roller coasters; there are inconsistencies. In a program, you look at what you do year after year and when people are like, ‘I want to be part of that.’ That’s when you know. That’s one of the places that’s pretty damn stable.
“And I’m excited to get back in front of these high schools and see some of these coaches. I give all credit to those before me, who helped to build something.”
Humility notwithstanding, Silverfield stands alone in Memphis’ 100-plus-year-old history.
Consecutive seasons of 10 or more wins since the program’s inception in 1912? Two; 2023, and, courtesy a resounding road win last month at Tulane, 2024.
Head coach? Ryan Silverfield, the former 23-year-old Georgia prep skipper who’s worked for two different NFL franchises, Detroit and Minnesota, and didn’t become a collegiate head coach until mere months before his 40th birthday.
“I give credit to Corky Rogers, the all-time winningest high school coach in Florida history,” Silverfield, whose Tigers will be seeking their 17th win in 20 games when they face West Virginia later this month in the Frisco Bowl, said. “He gave me my first coaching job, and I started coaching in spring of my senior year of high school. Then I coached small college ball in Virginia; I actually had dropped out, coached D-3 football at Hampden-Sydney, then got my degree. George O’Leary showed me work ethic. I got to learn under Brad Childress, Jim Caldwell and Leslie Frazier in the NFL, Mike Norvell was able to teach me a lot.
“I think, just more than anything, because my story is probably different than most, when I get to speak at these Nike coaching clinics, a lot of guys want to talk philosophy, and that’s great. But I also believe that the story is telling how I got into this thing. You gotta cut your teeth. I wish more guys would do that; I see G.A.s come in who just want a full-time job making $100,000.”
Silverfield is in line to make more money at Memphis, which seems likely to hang onto its head coach despite interest from Power Conference programs in this current coaching cycle.
Stability is key in the most unstable times of collegiate athletics, especially in football where this week’s opening of the NCAA Transfer Portal Window for December now includes more than 3,000 FBS players.
Memphis, with Silverfield unafraid to work community leaders to aid program resources, has committed to more than $200 million in Liberty Stadium improvements, not to mention a football-only academic building. Locally headquartered global force FedEx has pledged $25 million across five years to help Tiger athletics’ Name, Image and Likeness efforts for all student-athletes.
Perhaps this doesn’t happen without the organic community investment from Silverfield’s program, from renowned, world-class pediatric centers St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital where his Tigers players routinely share their time to other endeavors.
“We had the highest GPA in program history last semester, and the highest graduation rate in our (American Athletic) Conference four of the last five years,” Silverfield shared. “I don’t know right now how many coaches still believe in it, the student-athlete, but I firmly do. I think we’re fifth nationally in community service hours. We’ve got fantastic football kids; you don’t read bad things about Memphis players in the newspaper. And we’ve got 11 straight years of bowl games in a year where both Oklahoma State and Wisconsin got knocked off this map. Now, we have to keep working, keep holding kids accountable. Even in this day of the Portal, if you want to come play here for Memphis football, we’re gonna hold you accountable.
“Our kids embrace it. Our players can go spend time with youth who are battling life-threatening illnesses. This is a community, and we’re the only football team in town for a city of million people. The more we can give back to this community, the more we need to because it’s a need. And players buy in and, ‘Let’s be a part of this city.’”
They’re buying in on the field, too. In the days before the crowning moment – yet, anyway – of this Memphis season, a Thanksgiving night tilt against conference and regional rival Tulane, Green Wave head coach Jon Sumrall assessed Silverfield’s program.
“You watch the tape, they’re damn good,” said Sumrall, ardently pursued by North Carolina’s athletics brass the past 10 days and a former Kentucky player. “They’ve got really good players across the board. Their running back is a freaking dude. They’ve got two running backs that really play a lot that are good, their quarterback is in his 19th year of college football. Their offensive line is really solid.
“I think, at this level, a lot of times you can tell the good teams apart by who’s got good O-lines. These guys are really good on the O-line. They’re well-coached, they play hard, they’ve got good players. They’ve just got really good players. I feel like we’re getting ready to play an SEC team. And I’m serious. You look on the film, I’m like, ‘All right, this is as good of a talent-group as we’ll play all year, I think.’”
Two days after those comments, Sumrall was proved prescient; the Tigers won, 34-24, in a game they led for the final 40 minutes of game clock.
History; 10 wins, consecutive seasons.
Silverfield was so pumped … he immediately returned to work.
“I think just part of it is belief that this place can be something special,” he said. “Why can’t we be one of the premier, not just Group of Five, but top 25 places? We’ve had some staff stability, Memphis has done right by a lot of people, we’ve gotten fortunate with facilities and support from our administration and we’re going to continue to build this the right the way.
“When you look at the Group of Five, how do you get a place to where it’s constantly at a consistent level with the ability to do things and not just settle? We’re working on that with our stadium and our academic building. I think sometimes when people are stepping back or just trying to hold on, saying we got here, you can’t stop or rest on that.”
Not with those words ringing true from a high school coach in Texas.
Not when Memphis football is more than a team; it’s Silverfield’s program.