Optics are aligning with Memphis to become clear-cut AAC favorite in 2024

University of Memphis Athletics.

The Memphis Tigers finished the 2023 season with a 9-3 record, falling just short of the AAC Championship game. In what was Ryan Silverfield’s fourth and most critical season in charge, the Tigers built on last year’s 6-6 season record by adding three more wins, showing promising signs for the program’s future.

The 2023 AutoZone Liberty Bowl will present an opportunity for Memphis to put a stamp on their season in front of a home crowd. They will host the 7-5 Iowa State Cyclones, who have impressed this season with a stout defense and a win early in the year over ranked Oklahoma State. It’s a rematch of the 2017 AutoZone Liberty Bowl and the second meeting between the two teams. The Cyclones won that day in a close one, ending 21-20.

Tigers fans might get a chance to see some of the 2024 season’s upcoming stars getting more reps, leading us to the conversation of the upcoming 2024 campaign. Memphis proved they were close this year and now look poised to be back in the mix for the AAC Championship in 2024.

Boosted by Seth Henigan

Three-year starter Seth Henigan was one of the biggest influences on this Memphis Tigers team in 2023, and the fear of losing him at the end of the year was legitimate. With the opportunity of the transfer portal or moving on to the NFL Draft, Henigan’s status as a Tiger was subject to some doubt.

The experienced QB has since squashed those concerns, committing himself to a fourth year as the quarterback for the Silverfield’s team. His presence is critical to the offense, proving many times this year that he could lead a scoring drive late in the game or hold up the team with a big scoring day if the defense struggled to slow down opponents.

Henigan’s form and consistency as the team’s quarterback have helped them to their 9-3 record. Now, he’ll return for a fourth season, and it looks like he might have his strongest group of wide receivers to date, too.

The Tigers will be hoping that Roc Taylor decides to stay in town, too, and as things stand right now, it’s looking like he might.

Demeer Blankumsee was also a great find by the Tigers staff, securing his services via the transfer portal before the 2023 season. He’d previously spent three seasons at Toledo, with a career-high 33 catches for 435 receiving yards and two touchdowns in 2022.

Blankumsee would have put his name on several draft boards this year and is eligible for the 2024 NFL Draft, but the belief is that he, too, will return for one more run at the AAC Championship title with Seth Henigan. Both could improve their stock even further with another great year, which would undoubtedly be very promising for the program’s chances.

Then there is Koby Drake, who will be expected to fill a more significant role in 2024. Drake went from 12 receptions for 149 yards and a touchdown in 2022 to 31 receptions for 332 yards and two touchdowns in 2023. He switched from a primary role as a slot receiver last year, with 94% of his snaps coming from the inside, to more of an outside role this past season. Drake lined up outside the numbers on 68% of his snaps, adapting to a new role in the offense.

As a trio, Taylor, Blankumsee, and Drake will offer a serious set of weapons to Seth Henigan and the offense in 2024. It’s a group that can compete with any offense in the AAC, and one defense will lose sleep over trying to cover.

Mustangs in the rear view

The SMU Mustangs beat out Tulane to win the AAC Championship game in their final season as part of the conference. Next season, SMU will feature Stanford and Cal as the three new members of the ACC, paving the way for Memphis to challenge for the title.

Tulane will remain one of the fiercest competitors, but their program is heading towards a potential reboot while Memphis surges.

Green Wave head coach Willie Fritz has done a stellar job with the program and has just accepted the job as the head coach at Houston. His replacement will have a tough act to follow, and upholding the program’s standard won’t be easy.

To add further complications to Tulane’s next season, quarterback Michael Pratt is also a transfer portal candidate. He’s been heralded as a potential savior for the likes of Auburn, Washington, and Notre Dame, but tweeted in response claiming that he’s not going anywhere, with a ‘Roll Wave’ to solidify his statement.

How that turns out is yet to be determined, but it is certainly something to keep an eye on for one of the best quarterbacks outside of the Power Five.

If Pratt did decide to move on to a new program, Memphis would quickly become the favorite for the AAC. They’d then need to handle business and execute, marking a potential return to dominance in the conference.

Looking at the 2024 schedule, Memphis will have matchups outside of the AAC against North Alabama, Troy & Middle Tennessee, and the biggest challenge of their season coming against Florida State on the road.

The Seminoles went undefeated in 2023, and how many of their stars return is yet to be determined. Either way, Mike Norvell has built a powerful program, and that will be the game circled on the calendar for the Tigers to make a statement.

Summary

In short, 2024 is the season that Memphis has to assert its dominance. These changes and head coaching switches open the door to a successful year, but failure to execute could be catastrophic. Ryan Silverfield will be expected to take this team to 10 wins next year, and losing close games in the conference might spell the end of his reign as the team’s head coach.

The Tigers are now poised to take that step over the top into a team that might lose one game a season, but Silverfield will need to prove that he’s the man who can handle that spotlight. There’s no way that allowing a new head coach to come in and claim the title at Tulane right out of the gate should happen. If it does, the Tigers are in trouble.

Sliverfield will face additional pressure with the expanded playoff next season, with the potential for a group of five representatives to make it in as one of the 12 finalists. If poised to win the AAC, there’s no reason the Tigers can’t be in that position, but the roster will need to improve to get close enough to claim that spot.

Going into the transfer portal and adding playmakers is the key at this juncture. Silverfield navigated the portal exceptionally well last year with the additions of Blankumsee and star running back Blake Watson. This year, he’ll need to do the same, focusing on defensive playmakers who can make a difference and get the unit off the field.

The 2023 season was bland defensively. Not a single player on the team had more than three sacks, and Cameron Smith led the team with just three interceptions. They need stars—Guys who would come into the program and strike fear into AAC opposition. Finding two or three of those could determine the outcome of next season, but imagine how good this Tigers team would be with a Seth Henigan-led offense and a good defense to match.

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