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Why coach Charles Huff called Memphis football 'apex predator' in intro
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- Why coach Charles Huff called Memphis football 'apex predator' in intro
Memphis football officially has a new head coach, and he gave fans plenty to get excited about right off the bat.
Charles Huff was introduced at a news conference on Dec. 10 at the football practice facility.
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"So what's the mission, why am I here?" he said. "I'm here to close the gap. That's the mission, to close the gap. We've been good. We've won a lot of games. It's time to win a championship."
Huff arrives after spending one season as coach at Southern Miss and four at Marshall. He made it clear that he expects to win a conference title at Memphis, something he did at Marshall — and something Ryan Silverfield did not do in six seasons before departing for Arkansas on Nov. 30.
"I'm not standing here today because of my last name or who my dad was," Huff said. "I made a decision a long time ago to outwork people. And I've kept that decision in my mind for the last 42 years. If I can outwork you, I have a chance to beat you. That's going to be a motto in our program. I don't know who they've scheduled. I really don't care. Spot the ball, we'll play you."
More: Inside Memphis football's coaching search and how it landed on Charles Huff
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Huff spoke to fans and later answered questions from the media, saying he won't get fully involved with the team until after the Tigers face NC State in the Gasparilla Bowl on Dec. 19 (1:30 p.m. CT, ESPN). He emphasized the importance of local recruiting and said he'll lean on his experience both as a head coach and as an assistant at Alabama and Penn State, among other places.
Memphis athletic director Ed Scott said he knew it was possible Silverfield could leave and had been "tracking" potential candidates during the season. He wanted a sitting head coach at the FBS level or a Power Four coordinator, he said.
Huff ultimately came from the former category. And if he didn't already have fans on board when the hire was made, he'd earned plenty of new ones by the time he finished his opening speech.
"A message to the nation: Tigers are apex predators in the world," he said. "Apex predators are at the top of the food chain. Their job is to reset and establish order in the ecosystem. It's time for the Memphis Tigers to get to the top of the food chain and establish order and consistency in the college football ecosystem."
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Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at jonah.dylan@commercialappeal.com or on X @thejonahdylan .
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: What Charles Huff said at his introduction as Memphis football coach
