#PRZTN On-Site: Spring Practice w/ Memphis Football

Head coach Ryan Silverfield and his Memphis Football coaching staff brought their team to the Middle Tennessee area on Saturday afternoon to conduct one of their spring practices and Prep RedZone Tennessee was on-site to check out the action. The Tigers got in some great work on this day, including an inter squad scrimmage that was intense and interactive while doing this at Centennial High School, located in Franklin, Tennessee. It was a great idea for the Memphis staff to hold one of their spring practices in the greater Nashville area as the Tigers have been recruiting the Middle Tennessee pretty well for several years now and have their eyes on multiple prospects from the current 2023 class. All the action started with special teams that led quickly into warm ups and then positional work. I was able to get an up close look at all the positions on this Memphis team and they certainly have some big men that can move! The Tigers have a lot of players that are well built physically, whether that’s the smaller guys at 6’0 and below or the monsters in the middle ranging from 6’4 and larger. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> On-site w/ <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneTN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PrepRedzoneTN</a> Here at Centennial HS for spring practice w/ <a href="https://twitter.com/MemphisFB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MemphisFB</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CSS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CSS</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PRZTN?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PRZTN</a> <a href="https://t.co/GeGlnOOeBf">pic.twitter.com/GeGlnOOeBf</a> — Chris Smith (@CSmithScout) <a href="https://twitter.com/CSmithScout/status/1510329422146162698?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 2, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> Coach Silverfield and his staff have put together a beautiful looking team from a physical standpoint but other factors beyond the physicality will dictate if this Tigers 2022 version will come away with a successful season and it starts in the spring! After moving through the first part of spring practice, the Tigers lined up to scrimmage each and from the start you could see how fast they wanted to move with their offense. Memphis wanted to snap the ball quickly and put the defense on their heels and that’s exactly what they did from jump but when it came to the redzone, the Tigers defense stiffened up and didn’t allow the offense in the end zone. The Memphis offense moved the ball very well between the 20’s but had a hard time coming up with points. They even had a field goal attempt blocked by Tennessee native and former White Station cornerback Greg Rubin. Besides the blocked field goal by Rubin, the Tigers had other fellow Tennesseans out on the field putting in work with several of them in key positions for big roles this coming Fall. Over on offense, former McCallie athlete Eric Rivers took a lot of snaps on offense and was a key piece on special teams. Rivers is an athletic guy that can run and gives his Tigers offense a big play threat that could be asked to play a bigger role this season. A new guy on the scene for the Tigers is true freshman quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="101976" first="Tevin" last="Carter"], who I know pretty well as he played with our 7v7 program here in Nashville. Carter is a boy that can really spin the football and probably had one of the best passes of the day when he threw a dime down the sidelines that resulted in a touchdown. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Former PURE Youth & <a href="https://twitter.com/BallHawkU?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BallHawkU</a> QB <a href="https://twitter.com/tevincarter_2?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@tevincarter_2</a> spinning here w/ <a href="https://twitter.com/MemphisFB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MemphisFB</a> ...<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Tigers?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Tigers</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AAC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AAC</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CSS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CSS</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PRZTN?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PRZTN</a> <a href="https://t.co/pAEBF4Zalu">pic.twitter.com/pAEBF4Zalu</a> — Chris Smith (@CSmithScout) <a href="https://twitter.com/CSmithScout/status/1510336295356276746?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 2, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> Sitting on defense were multiple local standouts from the greater Nashville area who look to be carving out key roles for the Tigers and even push for starting spots. Former Ensworth linebacker Bryce Edmondson looks in great shape and moves very well, chasing down the ball with relentless intent and aggression. Defensive lineman James Stewart from Brentwood Academy has gained some needed weight since coming out of high school and looks to be primed to play a key role along the Tigers defensive line. Both these worked with the 2nd team defense but will be in the mix to play plenty of snaps this year and even start at some point. Another fellow Nashville area native to keep an eye out for this Fall is former Ensworth safety Rodney Owens. He is out right now with an injury but he is a starter for the Tigers defense and a guy that could have a future in the NFL. Like it was mentioned earlier, this was great for the Memphis team to come up to Middle Tennessee and continue pushing their brand into a fertile area for recruiting. This is a really good program right now that consistently goes to bowl games and wins seven plus games a year, so recruits across the state should definitely look deeper into and consider the Tigers. Local Recruits Check Out The Tigers This was a big weekend for recruits to go on college campuses for Junior Day visits and a lot of them were spread out across the country, so there weren’t too many prospects on hand for the Memphis practice on Saturday but a few big names did attend. The #2 ranked wide receiver in state, Ensworth [player_tooltip player_id="150474" first="Jacob" last="Page"] was in attendance and he appeared to be enjoying himself and thoroughly paying attention to the action on the field. Memphis has offered Page and more than likely has him at the top of their offensive recruiting board. Another top level wideout was in attendance as well. CPA’s receiver London Humphrey stopped by to see the Tigers and I can tell you he was having a good time as well as informing me that he has strong interest with the Memphis program. I was able to stop and talk with the Lions senior standout and as of now, he is wide open with his recruiting and continuing to keep his ears out for all takers, including a hopeful offer from Memphis somewhere down the road. One of the hottest recruits from the Mid-State area is Lebanon O-lineman [player_tooltip player_id="225975" first="Aidan" last="Donald"] and he was there at Centennial High School to see the Tigers on Saturday. This is a guy that is already on the Memphis radar and could push for an offer sooner or later. Donald has yet to see his D1 offers spike but the word is out on the trail about this guy and how he has upside as a blindside tackle. A youngster to know about who saw the Tigers in action down in Franklin was 2025 Mt. Juliet edge rusher [player_tooltip player_id="250859" first="Atticus" last="Fiorita"]. This is a name to watch out for over the next few years as he already sports the size (6’4 195) and length that college coaches look for as well as the athleticism to rush upfield or drop in coverage. For the recruits that attended, it was good to see the Tigers up close and learn more about the Memphis football program and even place themselves higher on their recruiting board. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Had fun watching <a href="https://twitter.com/MemphisFB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MemphisFB</a> scrimmage today, thank you <a href="https://twitter.com/CSmithScout?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CSmithScout</a> for the invitation to come. <a href="https://twitter.com/NCEC_Recruiting?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NCEC_Recruiting</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/D1Sports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@D1Sports</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/MJGOLDENBEARFB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MJGOLDENBEARFB</a> <a href="https://t.co/iQgPCWYg4D">pic.twitter.com/iQgPCWYg4D</a> — [player_tooltip player_id="250859" first="Atticus" last="Fiorita"] (@atticus_fiorita) <a href="https://twitter.com/atticus_fiorita/status/1510356233408155649?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 2, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>