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Memphis football coach Ryan Silverfield leaving for Arkansas
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- Memphis football coach Ryan Silverfield leaving for Arkansas
After six seasons as head coach of Memphis football, Ryan Silverfield is leaving the Tigers for the same job at Arkansas.
Silverfield's buyout is $1.5 million, according to his contract, a figure Arkansas will pay to Memphis.
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"We are excited about the future of Memphis Football and the momentum of our program," Memphis athletic director Ed Scott said in a school release on Nov. 30 announcing Silverfield's departure. "A national search for our next head coach is underway, and we are committed to finding a leader who reflects our values, prioritizes student-athlete development, and shares our vision for elevating the program nationally."
Defensive backs coach Reggie Howard will serve as interim coach for the Tigers.
Memphis finished the regular season 8-4 and will play in a bowl game.
Silverfield, 45, was promoted in December of 2019 and became the 25th head coach for the program when Mike Norvell was hired by Florida State after winning the American Conference championship game. Silverfield had served as Norvell's offensive line coach for four seasons.
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Silverfield is 50-24 during his six-plus seasons with the Tigers, which started with a 53-39 loss in the Cotton Bowl to Penn State in 2019.
Under Silverfield, Memphis went to a bowl game every season and won every game (the Hawaii Bowl in 2021 was not played after the Rainbow Warriors couldn't field a team). But the Tigers did not reach the American Conference title game during any season of Silverfield's reign.
The Tigers have been positioned as one of the top teams in the Group of Five for years. Memphis beat Arkansas in 2025 at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. The Tigers started 6-0 before faltering down the stretch and ultimately losing the final three games of Silverfield's tenure to finish 8-4.
Fans have grown restless as the Tigers' gap between American Conference title game appearances has grown, and the next coach will be tasked with finding a way to get the Tigers back there.
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"It became clear during our conversations that Coach Silverfield shares our vision of making the College Football Playoffs and competing for a national championship," Arkansas AD Hunter Yurachek said in a statement. "With our new and significant financial investment in the football program, we are confident we now have the coach and resources to make that happen."
Following Memphis' loss to Navy on Nov. 27, Silverfield addressed his attitude and approach to the Tigers' job.
"Every single day, I wake up and I'm absolutely honored to be the head coach of the Memphis Tigers ," Silverfield said. "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.
"Look, I'm the head coach of the Memphis Tigers. 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."
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Who is interim coach Reggie Howard?
Howard has been on the Memphis staff since 2024 and was inducted into the M Club Hall of Fame earlier this year.
Howard is a Memphis alum who played for the Tigers before beginning his NFL career in 2000. He was an undrafted free agent but played in the NFL until 2006 and had an interception in the 2004 Super Bowl for the Carolina Panthers .
He'd spent multiple stints on the Memphis staff before joining Silverfield's defensive staff ahead of the 2024 season. He spent 2023 as a defensive quality control coach with the Washington Commanders .
Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at jonah.dylan@commercialappeal.com or on X @thejonahdylan.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis football coach Ryan Silverfield leaving for Arkansas
