Tigers fans react to Charles Huff as next head football coach

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - Newly hired head football coach Charles Huff comes to Memphis with a reputation for turning around losing football programs and immediately making them winners. Fans hope he can transform an already successful Tigers squad into one of the elite Group of Five programs.

The hire comes after former head coach Ryan Silverfield left the position to become the next head coach of Arkansas. Following multiple 10-win seasons, but this year’s disappointing 8-4 record, fans are hungry for more success.

“His expectation is to win an AAC title here. We thought we could do it with Silverfield. We were close a couple times,” said Zach Graham, a Memphis Tigers alum who goes to nearly every game

Steven Becton said he’s excited about getting Huff. “He was an assistant head coach to Nick Saban, so that’s got to be a great experience,” Becton said.

Becton, another Tigers alum and season ticket holder, said he appreciated former coach Ryan Silverfield but noted the program hasn’t won a conference championship. “And he did that at Marshall,” Becton said, referring to Huff’s Sun Belt championship title win at the program.

Fans shared what their expectations are going forward, hoping Coach Huff maintains the level of success seen by previous coaches like Silverfield and Mike Norvell.

“I’d love a conference title. I don’t want us to be an easy win, and I always want our name to be mentioned as a school that is possibly going to be in that playoff,” said Donnie Culver, a Memphis alum who has been rooting the Tigers on for decades.

But Becton says he hopes Huff will can help the team reach a specific goal that fans have waited decades for.

“We want what everybody wants. To get in a major conference, and you don’t do that until you win in football so it’s critical,” said Becton.

Click here to sign up for our newsletter!

Click here to report a spelling or grammar error. Please include the headline.

Copyright 2025 WMC. All rights reserved.