"I don't feel pressure because of my preparation."
With a quarterback battle on the horizon, redshirt freshman quarterback Arrington Maiden is not backing down from the challenge.
The University of Memphis football team is in its first quarterback controversy since 2021 after losing Seth Henigan, the program's all-time leader in passing yards and touchdowns.
In preparation for said competition, the Tigers brought in three-star transfer Brendon Lewis and the highest-rated quarterback commit in program history, Antwann Hill Jr.
Memphis will also return two quarterbacks from its 2024 roster, including last season’s second-string quarterback Harris Boyd and a former three-star Arrington Maiden.
“I know I’m going to put in work in the offseason, and I know I’m going to win the guys over, and hopefully, we can win the conference next year.” Maiden said, “That’s ultimately the goal, no matter who’s the guy at quarterback.”
Sure, Maiden is confident in his quarterbacking abilities, but the transition to college has been demanding.
“Getting to college was a learning curve for sure, I felt like in high school I went off of a lot of God given talent, but when you get to college, you have to learn more about defenses because defenses can do a lot of stuff to create confusion.”
Luckily for Maiden’s development, he had a head start in his college career after enrolling early in January of 2024.
“Graduating early was one of the best things I did, because the extra seven months I had over regular freshman.” Maiden said, “I’m held to a different standard here than I was in high school.”
Maiden's academic motivation is clear after graduating from high school a semester early. Graduate early and focus on the gridiron.
“Arrington came in early and immediately wanted to know how he could get his MBA and graduate a semester early.” The Tigers’ head academic director, Meredith McCall, said.
Maiden credits a large part of his quick development to Seth Henigan’s leadership.
“It’s been amazing. I wouldn’t want any quarterback leading me other than Seth.” Maiden said, “He’s been a guy I’m okay with sitting behind just because of his experience, his character, work ethic, and leadership. It’s all second to none. He does everything right, it’s been a privilege having somebody (like Seth) in the quarterback room. Whether he’s teaching me about football or just teaching me about growing up, learning how college works. It’s good to have mentors like that.”
Tiger fans haven’t seen much from Maiden so far in his career, other than a tough midzone read against UTSA, where he was tackled for negative two yards after making the first defender miss.
But Maiden doesn’t seem to be bothered that his college legacy is currently one subpar rushing attempt. “I’m athletic, a playmaker, strong arm, can make all the throws, smart, willing to learn, willing to develop.”
Maiden has only been in Memphis for 14 months, but he’s already adopted the city, and the team’s core values.
“The culture here is second to none. I love the guys on the team; everybody has a good attitude; we work hard, everything is earned. It’s a grit mentality, nothing is given to us. That alone can carry you a lot in football, but it can also take you far in life.”
--------------------------------------------------------------
• Subscribe to our YouTube Channel
•Talk about it on the Memphis Message Board
--------------------------------------------------------------
- CB
- TE
- PRO
- OLB
- S
- OT
- WR
- WR
- DT
- OLB
