Memphis football lost its final regular-season game of 2025 against Navy on Nov. 27, and now the focus for the Tigers turns to the future, including their coach.
There are plenty of questions heading into bowl season and the offseason, and the top one has to do with the status of Ryan Silverfield. His name has appeared on coaching hot boards throughout the season, though some of that noise has cooled the past few weeks as Memphis (8-4, 4-4 American Conference) lost three games in a row.
“Every single day, I wake up and I’m absolutely honored to be the head coach of the Memphis Tigers,” Silverfield said after the Navy game at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. “This is not a job I take lightly. Every day, I get to wake up and come to this great facility. It’s a privilege. I fight, I work my tail off for this place. I’ve literally given almost every single thing I have to this program. And as long as I’m going to continue to be the head coach here, I will give every ounce of my heart and soul to this program to these guys.”
Silverfield has a clause in his contract that automatically extends his deal by a year if the Tigers win nine regular-season games. He reached that mark in 2024 and looked poised to do it again when Memphis entered November with an 8-1 record this season. But the three-game losing streak means his deal has four years left.
There already are plenty of open power conference jobs, with more to come as coaches leave for other jobs or are fired.
“Look, I’m the head coach of the Memphis Tigers,” Silverfield said. “I’ll wake up tomorrow morning and still plan to be the head coach of the Memphis Tigers, and I’m going to work my tail off to be better, to continue to give back to this program and pour into these young men.”
Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at jonah.dylan@commercialappeal.com or on X @thejonahdylan.
