What does Memphis football have going into season? Spring practice will give a first look

Memphis will kick off spring football on Tuesday, with about a month of practices before the spring game on April 20 at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. The Tigers will enter the 2024 season with a realistic shot at the expanded College Football Playoff, and these practices will be the first opportunity for coach Ryan Silverfield and his staff to start evaluating the new roster they’ve put together.

Plenty of key faces are back, including quarterback Seth Henigan, receiver Roc Taylor and linebacker Chandler Martin. But there are also lots of spots that need to be filled, and spring practices will help determine the pecking order at a bevy of positions.

So, what does the roster look like ahead of Tuesday? Here’s a quick projection at where each position stands.

Quarterback

Starter: Seth Henigan

In the mix: Arrington Maiden, Cade Cunningham, Harris Boyd

Henigan, the program’s all-time leading passer, is obviously a shoo-in to be the Tigers’ starting quarterback this fall. But there will be a competition behind him. Last year’s backup quarterback, Tevin Carter, transferred to Tennessee State, so there will be a three-way competition among Maiden (a freshman who won’t turn 18 until the summer), Cunningham (who was with offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey at Marshall before transferring to Memphis before last season) and Boyd (a redshirt freshman who was with the Tigers last season).

Cramsey said the competition likely will stretch through the offseason and won’t be resolved until a few weeks before the Aug. 31 season opener.

Running back

Starter: Mario Anderson

In the mix: Sutton Smith, Brandon Thomas, Jay Ducker

New running backs coach Lee Marks just got to the Bluff City, but he’s already set up well with a running back room that has a potential star in Anderson and plenty of returners in Smith, Thomas and Ducker. Anderson, a…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/does-memphis-football-going-season-100221614.html

Author : The Commercial Appeal

Publish date : 2024-03-18 10:02:21

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