Ryan Silverfield started his press conference by cutting right to the chase.
“Today is a monumental day for the Memphis Tiger football program,” the Memphis football coach said Wednesday.
It was a day where Memphis added 34 players, among them a four-star recruit who will become one of the highest ranked players in program history and a transfer running back who chose to play for the Tigers over offers from USC and Oklahoma.
Silverfield and his staff were already having a good start to the early signing period before Keonde Henry, a four-star wide receiver from Lake Dallas, Texas, announced around 1 p.m. that he would commit to the Tigers. He signed shortly after, immediately bolstering the caliber of the entire recruiting class and becoming just the 11th four-star recruit in program history.
“Keonde Henry’s a great young man with a tremendous skill set,” Silverfield said. “He’s a guy that we recruited heavily. He was recruited throughout the country, and had multiple offers. The star ranking’s great, but he’s certainly talented.”
Mario Anderson was South Carolina’s leading rusher last season before entering the transfer portal and looking elsewhere for his last year of eligibility. Silverfield said he spent the beginning of the recruiting period at the College Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony for former Tigers star DeAngelo Williams, and that doubled as a pretty good recruiting pitch for Anderson and other running backs.
Silverfield said the program’s track record with NFL-caliber running backs helps in recruiting and played a role with Anderson.
“Those were legitimate offers he had at those places,” Silverfield said. “He was on official visits to those places. But you keep swinging until someone tells you ‘no,’ and we were able to swing away and find a way to win.”
In all, Memphis added 20 transfers and signed 14 high school players. The class was ranked fourth in the American Athletic Conference by 247Sports, though those rankings shifted throughout the day and will continue through National Signing Day on Feb. 7. Memphis’ haul includes nine offensive linemen, a key component because the Tigers have lost two key linemen to the transfer portal and will lose two more to the NFL Draft after the AutoZone Liberty Bowl on Dec. 29.
The majority of the new additions will enroll early and be ready for spring practices. That includes Arrington Maiden, the only quarterback in the class who will compete for the backup role behind Seth Henigan and could be a future starter for the Tigers.
Silverfield also secured the signatures of two area products, Southwind defensive lineman Kavion Benton and Munford wide receiver Jordan Bell. Silverfield called Benton “explosive, ultra productive” and also had high praise for Bell, a high school quarterback who could end up playing a number of positions for the Tigers.
Though he acknowledged it’s been a tiring few weeks, Silverfield was clearly excited about the last 24 hours for the Tigers and how his program has been able to compete for the best players.
“You go to prom, and you’re not gonna get the prom queen unless you ask,” Silverfield said. “It only takes one to say yes.”
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