Memphis Tigers Football

“Build up your weaknesses until they become your strong points.”—Knute Rockne

For the second time in five years, the Big East Conference has exposed the weaknesses of the current leadership of RC Johnson, the athletic director of the University of Memphis by taking Texas Christian University (TCU), a school 450 miles west of the city of Memphis into their BCS fold. Mr. Johnson has been the AD for Memphis for nearly 15 years and Memphis is now no closer to getting into a BCS conference than they were before he came to Memphis.

Alarm bells should have gone off in 2004 when it was announced that former Conference USA programs, Louisville, Cincinnati and South Florida (USF) were being poached and taken into the Big East for the 2005 season. Now in fairness to Johnson, USF was a no-brainier for the Big East. USF is the ninth-largest university in the USA, has the luxury of playing in Raymond James Stadium and allowed the Big East to continue to have ties into the rich recruiting and media markets of the state of Florida. Likewise, Louisville had been making great strides in their football program with Papa John's Stadium and hiring coaches like Bobby Petrino.

However, the taking of Cincinnati should have been the concern. Cincinnati much like Memphis was traditionally a "basketball" school and had been mediocre at best in football with C-USA. Unlike Memphis who at least has the semi-modern Liberty Bowl, the Cincinnati Bearcats play in Nippert Stadium, the fifth-oldest football stadium in Division I, which seats around 35,097.

Memphis had, in some ways, more to bring to the table than Cincinnati did, including leading 18-12 in the all-time series in football. All it took was a great sales presentation and a commitment to the Big East that Memphis would upgrade its football program. A sales job that obviously Cincinnati was successful at doing and RC Johnson was not.

As the football world found out, Cincinnati followed words up with deeds. They fired Rick Minter as head coach and went out and hired first Mark Dantonio and then Brian Kelly as head coach in 2006. By 2009, the Bearcats were playing in the Orange Bowl and the next year were 12-1 and playing in the Sugar Bowl.

Likewise, Memphis fans have seen newer teams added to C-USA in 2005 like Tulsa and University of Central Florida (UCF) and watched those schools in a short period of time become conference champions in football. Tulsa has been the Western C-USA champs three times in 2005, 2007 and 2008 and UCF won the Eastern Division in 2005, 2007 and 2010. UCF not only won the C-USA title in 2010 but just became the first C-USA school to defeat an SEC school in the Auto Zone Liberty Bowl matchup. Memphis has yet to win a division title much less a trip to the Liberty Bowl as conference champions.

Now five years later, the failure of leadership shows its ugly head with the taking of TCU, for which Johnson said only shows Memphis needs to get its football program "geared up." One has to wonder, why after 15 years years on the job, Johnson now has an epiphany about the importance of gearing up the program.

The few years of success under former head coach Tommy West masked the fact that the football schedule had been weakened for some easy wins. Back in the 1990s, under former coaches Chuck Stobart and Rip Scherer, Memphis would schedule non-conference games which included Alabama, Florida State, Miami (FL), Michigan, Michigan St, Minnesota, Missouri and Southern Cal.

Compare and contrast those schools to the non-conference games during the West era, which included FCS (formerly D-IAA) programs such as Jacksonville State, Murray St, Nicholas St, Tenn-Martin and UT-Chattanooga. Many question if going 6-5 in 1993 with three SEC teams and the Miami Hurricanes on the schedule or going 7-6 in 2007 with only one SEC team on the schedule is really a sign of progress.

Furthermore, Johnson allowed former Memphis Tiger basketball coach, John Calipari, to wreck the Memphis-Ole Miss rival. Calipari did not want to play Ole Miss in basketball anymore and Ole Miss decided two could play that game and tore up the football contract with Memphis. Thus a regional rival that had first been played in 1921 and one of the few games the Tiger football team made money on was torn asunder.

By allowing the Calipari tail to wage the athletic dog, Johnson was left to try and sell the Memphis product to the Big East something they didn't need. Memphis' only strong point, the basketball program, was really irrelevant. The Big East is already top-loaded with basketball schools; they didn't need another "Memphis." Since Calipari had no interest in developing a rival on campus for his basketball program and ego, Memphis football was put on the back burner even further than it already was.

Just as a sidebar, while Calipari was the de facto chief of the athletic department, Johnson watched as Calipari got the Memphis basketball program in NCAA trouble and had to vacate their 38 wins from the 2007-2008 season, which had ended with a trip to the National Championship Game against Kansas.

Of course Johnson let the tiger out of the bag when after firing head coach Tommy West in 2009, he told reporters that one of the selling points for Memphis football was that the city of Memphis had a "great airport." After 15 years on the job as athletic director, what a glowing admission of failure if an airport is your program's best selling feature.

Frankly, it is time for the alumni for the University of Memphis to have a serious intervention with RC Johnson. It's time to ask point blank, does he even care about football? If so, can he develop a five-year plan whose ultimate goal is getting Memphis in a BCS conference and if not, it's time for him to type up his two-week notice.

Nothing personal, I am sure RC Johnson is a fine and honorable man but if Memphis football was a NASCAR driver and RC Johnson was the crew chief, Johnson would have been gone a long time ago.

Southern Miss Golden Eagles (4-2. 3-0 CUSA) vs. Memphis Tigers (1-5, 0-3 CUSA)

October 16, 2010 at 12pm ET/ 11am CT

Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, TN

One thing about the Memphis Tigers this year is that they’re not very memorable, at least in the sense that they aren’t known for anything in particular that they do on the field. Yet.

“I think we’re still searching for our identity,” head coach Larry Porter told the Memphis Commercial Appeal on Monday.  "If you look at all the inconsistencies of our lineup, all our youth, the newness ... at times it's been difficult to do certain things based on not wanting to put certain people in positions they haven't been in."

With half of the games in Porter’s inaugural season at the helm of Tiger football already completed, his team is in serious need of an on-field catalyst, someone who can light a fire in his teammates and help them find the second wind (and second win) they need in order to help keep their season alive. Maybe it will come from recently promoted senior return man D.A. Griffin, who took snaps on four special teams units last weekend.  Maybe it will come from omnipresent senior linebacker Jamon Hughes, who finds himself in the same tackles bracket as Notre Dame stud Manti Te’o (both rank in the top 20 nationally).  Whoever creates the spark had better do it sooner rather than later, or the Tigers will be in danger of allowing their season slip from between their collective paws.   

"We need to finish," senior running back Gregory Ray said. "We've got to be focused when we get inside the red zone and quit making stupid mistakes."  His sense of final-season urgency is almost palpable, but the grass does not look much greener in the second half of the Tigers’ schedule.  With 41 freshmen on the roster this season, eight of whom have started at least one game, these cubs have some learning to do, and so far, they haven’t learned quickly enough – a 56-0 drubbing by a 3-2 Louisville squad this past weekend certainly testified to that. On the bright side, it can’t get much worse without someone violating an NCAA regulation, and if Tiger fans have seen anything from Porter this season, it’s the kind of mental toughness that doesn’t equate to letting things like that slide under the radar.

Southern Miss rolls into Memphis for the annual Black and Blue Bowl having won 4 of their last 5, the letdown coming last week in Hattiesburg in an ugly back-and-forth tug of war that the Golden Eagles lost to ECU, 44-43.  USM’s Achilles heel, as that game demonstrated, is penalties: they lead the nation in penalty yards per game, including a whopping 150 yards ceded to the Pirates in the loss.  If the Tigers can keep their cool, they can force USM into long yardage downs and shorten the field for themselves on offense. The other side of the coin, unfortunately, is that penalty yards won’t matter if the defense continues to give up big plays.  In the loss to Louisville, Memphis allowed Cardinal touchdowns on plays of 39, 48, 74, 28 and 28 yards; Louisville ranks 29^th nationally in plays from scrimmage over 10 yards, with Southern Miss just ahead of them in 24^th.

On offense, it will be important for the Tigers to make things easy on themselves by improving their protection of freshman quarterback Ryan Williams, who was sacked five times last Saturday.  In their win against MTSU, the Tigers’ protection schemes allowed only two sacks; in their other five games (all losses), Tiger quarterbacks have been sacked 16 times. Regardless of the health of the offensive line, Memphis needs to preserve the health of their starting quarterback in the worst way, or else be forced to line up with Cannon Smith under center. 

And if that’s not enough to get a rise out of these Tigers, they’re a whole shade bluer than we thought.

This article was first posted to Springs on Sports. If you liked what you read, feel free to check out the site.

(Photo attribution to Patrick Boyd, 10/27/07, some rights reserved.)

Sometimes being a freshman isn't easy.

Even more so, sometimes being a high school football recruit isn't easy. Chris Werabe has shown he can quickly and easily overcome any challenge thrown his way.

Werabe was a star defensive end/offensive tackle for Bishop Byrne High School (Memphis, Tennessee).

Due to personal matters, Werabe passed up offers from Southern Mississippi, Ole Miss, Mississippi St. Cincinnati, Oregon St., and South Carolina so he could stay home, be close to his family and decided to join the Memphis Tigers football team.

Werabe is a 6'1", 250-pound defensive end prepared to be switched to linebacker at any time while playing for Memphis.

When asked to describe his best position, Werabe threw a curve-ball and said "student-athlete: student first, athlete second.  I'm here to not only play strong, physical and leadership football, but to get my education from a great founded school such as Memphis."

Being a freshman isn't always easy but when asked what he's most excited about Werabe said, "I'm looking forward to playing alongside Dontari Poe on the defensive line but if they switch me to linebacker, I'll be looking forward to play alongside Jamon Hughes."

Although Memphis has dropped its first two games, Werabe keeps his head saying, "We've got a young team but we're all prepared to face the tough road of both losing and winning. We pick each other up on this team from the seniors to freshmen, our chemistry is great and the play will follow."

With comparisons to Dwight Freeney and Osi Umenyiora, Werabe finds motivation.

"When people throw star NFL players in the same sentence as your name you have a lot to prove," Werabe said. "I know I have a lot to prove but actions speak louder then words, this much I know. So I'm here to prove my worth without saying a word."

Not much to be said except how much you have to like a freshman who wants to lead.

Werabe states his passion for football and desire to be the best is what makes him a leader.

"Off the field I just try to be the best leader that i can be, in and out the classroom, on and off the field."

While the Tigers began their season on a rough note, Werabe is a bright side.

A bright side that looks like a semi-truck headed right at quarterbacks. Opponent beware, Werabe lets his game speak for itself and finding your quarterback on the ground tells a lot about a young man who has priorities straight and his talent level rising.  

To put a exclamation point on everything Werabe was then asked what exactly does he bring to the table, "plenty of food and by that I mean whatever the coaches want me to do I'll do it with a passion" he said.

Whether it's the passion or his talent, Werabe is headed to the top and coaches better be hungry, because he has got more then enough food to bring to the table.

Last week I defended University of Memphis head coach Larry Porter's decision to start Cannon Smith at quarterback for the second game of the season.  Smith, who is the son of FedEx founder and Tiger benefactor Fred Smith, has been at the center of a debate focused on whether he has earned his starting position or if it has been bought by his father's billion dollar bank account.  

I defended Porter's decision based on the fact that Smith's potential replacement, true freshman Ryan Williams, did not significantly outperform him in the Tigers' 49-7 loss to Mississippi State.  Also, Smith's game against the Bulldogs was his first start and he was playing in a hostile road environment.  Finally, there has been no evidence the elder Smith has attempted to exert his influence.

Regardless of the reason, Smith did start today's game against East Carolina.  On the Tigers' first two offensive series, he was responsible for two turnovers—the first a bungled exchange with his center, and the second an interception thrown at least 10 feet over the head of his receiver.  Smith did manage to lead the Tigers to field goal before being replaced by Williams late in the first quarter.

Williams entered the game and immediately drove the Tigers 68 yards for a touchdown in just four plays.  The Tigers would come up empty the rest of the first half, but the freshman played poised and looked the role of a starting quarterback.

In a move that elicited groans in every bar in Memphis, Porter went back to Smith to start the second half.  The Tigers managed just one first down before Williams made his return. The change resulted in two consecutive touchdown drives.  

The skeptics will now be question motives more than ever.  Porter may have his reasons for sticking by Smith, but after the Tigers' 49-27 loss to ECU he definitely owes everyone an explanation.  

It might be as simple as he does not want to permanently damage Cannon's confidence. Smith does have two more seasons to improve and could even be called upon this season depending upon injuries.  Porter also has a built-in excuse if he does not start Smith next week.  After the game, he was taken to the hospital for suspicion of a concussion suffered during the game.  He could always cite injury concerns when making the decision.

Last week I said you could not blame Porter for playing Smith when the Tigers were expected to compete within Conference USA.  Why risk alienating your biggest financial supporter when you are not going to win anyways?

This week though, the Tigers showed with Williams at the helm they could win some games in the conference this season.  While they likely cannot win six to qualify for a bowl game, the team is loaded with talented freshmen who have an opportunity to develop together this season.  

Williams is clearly the better player and the future of the program.  Each week that he outperforms Smith and is not named the starter, the more likely it becomes that money and influence are driving the quarterback battle in Memphis.  

The University of Memphis Tigers suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the Mississippi State Bulldogs Saturday night.  Red-shirt sophomore Cannon Smith started his first game at quarterback for the Tigers, but was pulled after just three series in favor of true freshman Ryan Williams.  First year head coach Larry Porter's sudden switch to Williams has prompted several to question if Smith was starting because of talent or to appease his father, Federal Express founder and University of Memphis benefactor Fred Smith.  

Fred Smith and Memphis

It would be hard to blame Porter if he did start Cannon to please his father.  The elder Smith is worth an estimated $1.3 billion and his company employs over 10,000 Memphians.  The company's name appears on several buildings around the city, including the University's basketball and baseball stadiums.  

CBSSports.com reported in June that Smith was offering as much as $10 million a year to any BCS conference that would invite the Tigers to join their conference.  While the football program recently completed a new practice field and is in the process of building a new weight room, they could always use a FedEx football stadium or indoor practice facility.  It would be foolish for a new coach to alienate his largest donor during a season when the Tigers were not even expected to compete in Conference USA.

Cannon Smith

For all the speculation about his father being responsible for his starting role, Cannon Smith is no slouch.  He was a heralded prospect coming out of Olive Branch High School, being named to the US Army All-American game.  Smith originally committed to play for Ole Miss and then head coach Ed Orgeron.  Instead of playing for the Rebels, he attended Hargave Military Academy and eventually signed to play for the University of Miami.  Smith transferred to Tigers from Miami in the Fall of 2009 after appearing in just one game for the Hurricanes.

Spring Practice/Scrimmages

Smith and Williams entered spring practice to a wide open quarterback race.  The Tigers' roster also included the incumbent Tyler Bass who started three games the previous season, community college transfer Andy Summerlin, and red-shirt freshman Will Gilchrist.  Summerlin suffered a shoulder injury during spring practice.

Performance at the annual Blue-Gray Game and reports from scrimmages seem to provide the most compelling evidence that there might be external factors being used to determine the Tigers' starting quarterback.  Smith finished the game with just 59 yards and an interception while completing fewer than half of his passes.  Williams was named the MVP of the game after throwing for 186 yards and three touchdowns.  Bass finished with 91 yards and two touchdowns, while Gilchrist completed all seven passes he threw including a touchdown.

Porter officially closed scrimmages to the media, but the Commercial Appeal reported that scrimmage statistics provided by the University's sports information department favored Williams.   The differences in performance might be as simple as Smith faced tougher competition working primarily with the first team than Williams did playing with the second team.

Heading into the Mississippi State game, Porter had to decide between two untested quarterbacks.  For either quarterback, it was to be their first start in an extremely hostile road environment.  Over 56,000 cowbell ringing fans packed Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville.  Smith at least had the advantages of appearing in a game for Miami and two full seasons of practice with Football Bowl Subdivision teams.

While he had a slight experience edge, Smith expectedly showed signs of being nervous missing several receivers early and failing to get a single first down.  Williams appeared more comfortable when he entered the game, but was he truly more poised or was it the fact that the Tigers were already down 14 points?  Playing from behind with nothing to lose can often reduce the pressure players feel.  

Williams looked good for spurts, but he only managed six first downs for the game and threw two interceptions.   There were also several plays where it appeared he could have picked up first downs with his legs.  Instead he forced throws or took a sack.  Smith reentered the game in the fourth quarter and led the Tigers to their only touchdown in the waning minutes.  Very little insight could be gained from the Mississippi State game since the Bulldogs were superior to the Tigers in every facet except punting.  Both quarterbacks were less than impressive for most of the game.

Head coach Larry Porter has officially named Smith the starter for Saturday's game at East Carolina.  Skeptics will ask what has changed between the fourth series of the Mississippi State game and now?   Probably very little, but Porter naming Smith the starter for the second game is not an indictment that his father's influence is in play.  There have not been any reports that Fred Smith has tried to have his son elevated to the starting role.  He was an ardent Tiger supporter prior to Cannon transferring, and would presumably continue to be one no matter how much his son was playing.  Until evidence is produced to the contrary, Smith should be given the benefit of the doubt that his accomplishments are in fact his accomplishments.  

About a month ago, a hayseed from Texas tried to test my fan-hood, something that in a city like Memphis, is somewhat hard to do.

"You can't like Memphis basketball and dislike their football team," he said to me via the wonder that is Facebook.

"Yes I can," I replied, "You're not from here, so your opinion doesn't matter. Memphis football has sucked for years. No one really gives a crap about them."

In the 22 years that my mother, Joyce Hancock, has worked for the school, the Tigers have enjoyed only eight winning seasons in football since she began working there in 1987.

Take that same time span of 22 years with Tiger basketball and you get 20 post-season appearances, including the 2007-08 Final Four season, six Sweet 16s, four Elite Eight's, and three NIT Final Fours.

What does that tell you?

The University of Memphis know exactly where their monies are coming from, and unfortunately it's not the football program.

No friggin' duh.

It's quite clear that while the administration have made strides to improve the basketball program during the Calipari era, and attract big-name prep stars to come to the Bluff City, the same couldn't be said about football.

Tiger football, sadly, has been filled with players that teams from the BCS didn't want mainly because they didn't have the grades to qualify for schools like Arkansas, Tennessee and Ole Miss.

Just saying.

After DeAngelo Williams played his last game in 2005, West didn't get anyone close to the calibre of a star like DeAngelo.

Instead of building relationships with coaches in the Memphis area, West and his staff shut most of them off, although players like Brandon Patterson of Germantown High School, Joseph Doss of Melrose High School, and Marcus Hightower from my alma mater, Whitehaven High School, have had some success.

But it still hasn't translated into wins and most importantly, conference championships.

In the 13 years that Conference USA has sponsored football, Memphis are the only program who have not win a conference title.

Even Tulsa and Central Florida, newcomers to the league, have won conference championships.

So have Tulane, who won their title in 1998 under Tommy Bowden and finished ranked seventh in the nation, and they play in a sterile dome that can't sell out for their games.

So Coach West, don't give me that facilities crap when you say that facilities cost you the game.

Tulsa and Rice have two of the smallest enrolments in Division One, and they find a way to be competive, so enrolment shouldn't be an excuse.

What is the problem then?

The football program has been run as nothing more than a hobby at the University of Memphis.

That's right, a hobby.

And until they realize that running a football program isn't a hobby, then they won't get the picture.

Until then, the state that Memphis football finds itself in, like or not, will remain just what it is, a hobby.

Memphis is a basketball town. 

That has been a statement made as long as any Memphian can remember.  It's a lie.  It's false...propaganda by fans and professionals alike to give an excuse as to why the University of Memphis can't field a football team that people will support. 

It's an untruth that has become so prevalent and so repeated that all who hear it accept it as fact.  It's time to stop perpetuating this view point and deal with the real truth.

The truth is that Memphis is a sports town, but they only support winners. 

Isn't that how it is in other towns?  Doesn't everyone love a winner?  Memphis has struggled to know what that feels like with a litany of failed sports teams, but when we do get a winner we go all out.  Just ask those associated with Memphis' basketball program. 

Memphis being seen as a basketball town isn't by accident.  It is based on a simple assumption.  Memphians support the basketball program with great enthusiasm so Memphis must be a basketball town. 

Well, if that is true then answer this... why are the Grizzlies hiring an over-the-hill point guard, at $3.5 million, who cares more about starting than winning?  Because they can't sell tickets and those that do buy tickets don't come to the games.  Does that sound like a basketball town to you?  Of course not.

Here is another question for you... what do the Memphis Riverkings, Memphis Showboats, Memphis Redbirds, and others like them all have in common?  They all had great support and led the country in attendance when they were winners. 

Memphis supports winners.

If Memphis is a basketball town, then why do people go to Memphis Tiger football games when they play Ole Miss or Tennessee?  Why?  Are they hoping to get a glimpse of Anfernee Hardaway?  No.  They are there to see what they hope will be a great football game.  They hope for an upset.  And usually those hopes are dashed.

Memphians love sports...all sports.  Have you been to the Memphis Motorsports Park lately?  Did you go to the Fed Ex golf tournament this year and see the record number of people there?  Memphis loves sports.

Have you been to a "professional" wrestling match and seen the sellout crowds?  Memphis even likes fake sports.  They vote for an aging wrestler for Mayor because of how he put Memphis wrestling on the national map.

Memphians loves winners, but you have to give them a product worth buying...and can you blame them?

The Memphis Tigers football program, for as long as anyone in town can recall, has been a disappointment... a letdown.  Every year it's the same thing.  It doesn't matter who the coach is or who the AD or President of the University has been.  Fans hear promising comments and predictions. 

They are looking for great things.  Exciting ads are run.  Season tickets are bought.  And then...agony.  The pain of watching hopes and dreams smashed happens within a matter of a couple weeks and reality once again sets in.

Then the team limps along, makes a little run, puts some wins together against teams they shouldn't even be playing.  Scratches out a 6-5 season and gets into some bowl no one has heard of.  Some bowls are won, some are lost (three of the last four were lost to be exact) and no one really cares.  Apathy is the protection from disappointment.

Memphis must be a basketball town.The definition of insanity, as is often said, is continuing to do the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.  That pretty well sums up the Memphis Tigers football program throughout the vast majority of its history. 

It's time for a new approach, and ironically enough, the basketball program provides a good blueprint to follow.

First things first...fire the coach.  It was obvious Tic Price and Johnny Jones needed to go, and now it’s obvious Tommy West needs to go. 

West is a nice guy.  That’s the most common comment heard about Coach West.  He is well liked by all.  Unfortunately, this isn't a popularity contest.  West isn't running for Mr. Congeniality.  He is a football coach and football coaches are judged on one thing... winning.  A decade is long enough.

Some argue West has won more than anyone, except Spook Murphy.  Considering Memphis' past, that isn't saying much.  West's number of wins has a lot to do with the fact of having the job for nine years...and with an overall record of 47-51 it's still not something to brag about. 

Others will point to the number of bowls Memphis has been in during West's tenure.  True.  But what is also true is that there are more bowls now than has ever been before in the history of college football and coincidentally the majority of that bowl growth has occurred during West's tenure as Memphis' coach. 

It's much easier to get a bowl appearance now than it was 10 years ago.  There are now 33 bowls, including the four BCS bowls.  Over a third of those started in the last 10 years.  Last year, Memphis didn't even have a winning record (6-6) and got an invitation to the St. Petersburg Bowl, which they lost.  It was that bowl's first year in existence.

It’s also heard said that Coach West has taken the football program to new levels.  That can be argued as true.  Memphis does owe Coach West thanks for moving the program forward, but it just hasn’t moved forward enough. 

While Memphis has had some improvement, it still has a long way to go.  It’s kind of like saying Joey Dorsey improved as a free throw shooter when he went from 45 percent to 55 percent.  Yeah there is improvement.  A statistician could say it was almost a 20 percent increase and make it sound great.  But in the end it’s still poor.  It’s still unacceptable. 

One can play with the numbers all they want and point to individual high points, but in the end, everyone has to come to the same conclusion.  The Memphis Tigers football program is mediocre at best and changes have to be made...and the first change has to be at the top with the coach.

The same group of boosters that have done such an amazing job pouring dollars into the basketball program and that offered John Calipari the moon to stay, needs to do the same thing for a football coach.

Memphis is "saving" millions of dollars a year paying Josh Pastner instead of Calipari.  Simply redirect those funds to the football coach.

If you offer someone the kind of money that was being offered Calipari, Memphis could attract a top coach away from a BCS school, someone who is currently not coaching, or an up and coming coach who has proven himself at a non-BCS school. 

Phillip Fulmer comes to mind, though there are many other options.

While Tiger fans might initially cringe at the thought of hiring the former Vols coach, it can’t be argued that Fulmer would be excellent at recruiting and coaching at Memphis while bringing a whole new level of excitement among the fan base, and that is what Memphis desperately needs. 

Just as when Calipari was hired, ticket sales would immediately go up in anticipation of the future with that type of hire.

RC Johnson brags about money being spent on a weight room, Astroturf, and other improvements to facilities, and those are important.  That’s obvious, and it does help some with recruiting. 

But it is not why someone chooses to come to a school.  Kids come for coaches.  It’s that simple.  No kid ever said “I want to go to that school because they have a great weight room.”

As usual, Memphis seems to be putting the cart ahead of the horse.  Spend money on a coach, not weight rooms, not practice facilities, not a stadium… an excellent coach.  It's not minimizing the other things needed.  It's about priorities.  That has to be first priority.  A great coach brings instant credibility. 

It increases opportunities with top recruits, especially local talent that consistently leaves the city, often to SEC schools that surround this fertile recruiting ground.  In addition, Memphis will see improvement in development of players, better game plans, and cleaner execution of those plans during games resulting in more wins. 

More wins means more money as fans become engaged as never before.  TV appearances increase.  Memphis becomes a two sport threat and immediately becomes far more appealing to BCS conferences.

In recent months, there has been more and more chatter being heard about possible BCS opportunities for Memphis.  The Big East in particular keeps getting mentioned.  Let’s be honest.  None of the Big Six conferences are interested in Memphis without the basketball program. 

That is the main attraction.  Yes market size, location, and other factors may have appeal too, but without the success Tiger basketball has had during the Calipari era, Memphis is staying in C-USA indefinitely.   

The BCS is everything for football.  Being in a BCS school brings credibility, exposure, better recruits, better rivalries, better games, more money.  Not only will it be the single greatest thing to happen to the football program, it will also boost the basketball program, baseball, and every other sport. 

Every week that goes by with the football team losing...every week that Memphis allows to pass with Tommy West at the helm hurts their chances to join a Big Six conference.  Memphis must make a move and soon...this week...tomorrow.

They can’t afford to wait until the season is over and basketball has already begun.  It may be too late.  A move must be made now. 

Decisive, proactive, and aggressive action must be taken by RC Johnson or a BCS opportunity could slip away and may not come again for some time.  Memphis simply can’t afford to be passed over again.

If not, Memphis will continue to have no choice but to be a basketball town.