Outlook: Memphis has the talent and experience to once again be the favorite in the AAC West Division. But the teamâs struggle to finish games has cost it dearly during the past two seasons, including a conference championship in 2018. Poise under pressure will be crucial, especially in November when the Tigers face Houston, USF and Cincinnati during back-to-back-to-back weeks.
2019 Schedule
Aug. 31 Ole Miss
Sept. 7 Southern
Sept. 14 at South Alabama
Sept. 26 Navy
Oct. 5 at Louisiana-Monroe
Oct. 12 at Temple
Oct. 19 Tulane
Oct. 26 at Tulsa
Nov. 2 SMU
Nov. 16 at Houston
Nov. 23 at USF
Nov. 29 Cincinnati
" Memphis football will no longer have the distinction of having the highest-paid non-Power 5 coaching staff."âŠ
âHouston gave new coach Dana Holgorsen a $4.5 million salary pool for assistant coaches and staff to take the lead spot for 2019-20.â
MeMphiS is lo0kINg f0r a tHiRd comSCutive tRiP to tHE AAC ChaMpIOnShip GAMe, anD tHey hAve thE RoSTer To dO iT.
I agree. They are the main challenge in the West. Stud running back, excellent receivers, good QB.
Memphisâs Backup QB hits the transfer portal:
We saw this happen at A&M under Sumlin, and they still havenât recovered at QBâŠ
So this probably doesnât portend well for Memphis.
Memphis folks havenât learned from the Big 12 debacle that athletics isnât everything when trying to get into one of the Autonomous 5 conferences. Presidents are ultimately the ones that make the decisions and Memphis academics donât exactly entice presidents in those conferences.
âThe next five years are arguably the most important five years in the history of the department,â Rudd said Friday, âin terms of positioning, in terms of anything that happens at the national level and the issues and challenges in college athletics.â
See, Tuesday afternoon at the Laurie-Walton Family Basketball Center was more about welcoming and celebrating a former Kansas State linebacker turned college administrator and father of four. It was about standing ovations and congratulations for a search well done, a search that yielded a candidate with impressive credentials for a first-time athletic director.
But looming under all this deserved fanfare was the reality of the precarious spot in which Memphis currently and traditionally sits in the college athletics landscape. And the belief among the universityâs power brokers that the school could be in a better spot if it plays its cards right.
Memphis freshman linebacker Nyle Love has entered the NCAA transfer portal, a source familiar with his decision told The Commercial Appeal.
Love is the third Memphis player to enter the transfer portal in preseason camp along with quarterback Brady McBride and defensive back Austin Jones. McBride announced last week that he was transferring to Texas State
Love was a four-year standout at Lausanne and helped the Lynx win two consecutive TSSAA Division II-AA state championships in his junior and senior seasons. He redshirted last season at Memphis and has four years of eligibility remaining.
âWeâll see if this latest move to Memphis sticks because weâve certainly seen that Martin is no stranger to moving around.â
Memphis running back Patrick Taylor will be sidelined for a fourth consecutive game.
Coach Mike Norvell on Wednesday ruled him out for Saturdayâs game (2:45 p.m., ESPNU) against Louisiana-Monroe (2-2, 1-0 AAC).
Taylor showed improvement by not wearing a walking boot or crutches on the sidelines against Navy last week. Norvell said Monday that Taylor is progressing in his recovery, but Taylor was held out of practice Tuesday and Wednesday.
âWeâll see where heâs at in preparation for next (week),â Norvell said Wednesday.
With the Ole Miss HC gone, I can see them hard after Norvell.
He has been hitting roughly the same recruiting areasas Ole Miss and they have seen his coaching up close and personal after playing them this year.