When former Memphis head coach Mike Norvell left Memphis for Florida State, there weren't many people that thought the next Memphis coach would be Memphis offensive line coach Ryan Silverfield.
You heard names like Liberty HC Hugh Freeze, Central Michigan HC Jim McElwain, Georgia DC Dan Lanning, Former Mizzou HC Barry Odom, Former Notre Dame HC Chip Long, and ULL HC Billy Napier.
Fans had mixed reactions when Silverfield was named as Norvell's successor.
Silverfield manged a 8-3 record during the Covid year with a Bowl win over FAU. Even with that, there were doubters that he wasn't the right choice. The doubter crowd were not very vocal but they were there.
The crowd grew loud the next two seasons when Memphis went 6-6 in 2021 and 7-6 in 2022.
Many felt 2023 was a do or die year. They felt the program had fallen from the perch that Norvell had them on.
