University of Memphis Athletics
Photo by: Joe Murphy
Tigers Football Opens Spring Practice Tuesday
Mar 21, 2016 | Football
Memphis to hold Friday Night Stripes spring game Apr. 22.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The Next Step begins for Tigers football.
The University of Memphis football team opens its 2016 spring drills Tuesday, and since he was hired Dec. 4, 2015, first-year head coach Mike Norvell has been pounding the pavement about the Tigers taking that "next step." For Norvell, that "next step" process starts this spring.
"We're ready to get after it," said Norvell, who comes to Memphis from his deputy head coach/offensive coordinator position at Arizona State. "We've been looking forward to this since we got back here in January. We got through recruiting, and we've had the opportunity to be around the guys through their morning workouts. But, we haven't had helmets, we haven't had footballs. Now, we get to put it all together, and we're excited about getting out there and working with each other."
The Tigers return 15 starters (7 offense/8 defense) from the 2015 squad that posted a 9-4 overall record and a 5-3 American Athletic Conference mark. The 2015 Tigers earned a postseason bid to the Birmingham Bowl, the program's second-straight bowl appearance. The postseason streak is one that Norvell and his 2016 Tigers want to continue.
"There's a culture of winning that's been established," Norvell said. "Our goal is to continue to grow and build off that. We want to take the next step as a program. It's going to take everyone involved. It's going to take all the coaches, all the players. We all have to get on the same page on what the expectations are.
"Last season, this program got a glimpse of greatness. You saw the excitement and what it meant to this community, this university. Everybody is excited about Memphis football. Now, it's our time to build off that. It's our time to show what the 2016 Tigers are going to be."
While spring practice officially begins Tuesday, Norvell points out that the Tigers have been working hard in the weight room during the off-season, and the players' physical changes will be noticeable.
"Coach (Josh) Storms has done an unbelievable job with the training of our guys," said Norvell, who helped bring Storms to Memphis from Arizona State. "That's one of the reasons we're starting (spring practice) a little later. We're starting later not only for the implementation of our schemes, but also to give our guys the opportunity to build their bodies.
"When you see some of the guys run on the field Tuesday, some of the physical changes we've had on this football team will be evident, and I'm extremely excited about that. These guys have worked and put in their time. You can tell they're hungry, and everyone is looking to make a good first impression."
In addition to player development during spring drills, Norvell wants the team to begin creating an identity that will carry over to the fall.
"We want to introduce our schemes, but I don't want to spend all of the spring on schemes," Norvell said. "I want to see who is getting better fundamentally. I want to see each one of our position players develop and be the best the players they can be. I want them preparing for what they can do this fall.
"We are going to begin establishing our identity. Right now, our guys are still very new to the terminology, so we know there are going to be some mistakes and some uncertainty there early. We're going to go out and establish the way we're going to practice. We're going to establish a finish mentality. We talk a lot to our guys about finishing what we start, and that begins on the practice field. That has to be the heartbeat of our team."
Tuesday is the first of 15 spring practices for the Tigers, which includes the Apr. 22 Friday Night Stripes spring game. Friday Night Stripes is slated for a 7 p.m. (CT) kick-off at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.
The University of Memphis football team opens its 2016 spring drills Tuesday, and since he was hired Dec. 4, 2015, first-year head coach Mike Norvell has been pounding the pavement about the Tigers taking that "next step." For Norvell, that "next step" process starts this spring.
"We're ready to get after it," said Norvell, who comes to Memphis from his deputy head coach/offensive coordinator position at Arizona State. "We've been looking forward to this since we got back here in January. We got through recruiting, and we've had the opportunity to be around the guys through their morning workouts. But, we haven't had helmets, we haven't had footballs. Now, we get to put it all together, and we're excited about getting out there and working with each other."
The Tigers return 15 starters (7 offense/8 defense) from the 2015 squad that posted a 9-4 overall record and a 5-3 American Athletic Conference mark. The 2015 Tigers earned a postseason bid to the Birmingham Bowl, the program's second-straight bowl appearance. The postseason streak is one that Norvell and his 2016 Tigers want to continue.
"There's a culture of winning that's been established," Norvell said. "Our goal is to continue to grow and build off that. We want to take the next step as a program. It's going to take everyone involved. It's going to take all the coaches, all the players. We all have to get on the same page on what the expectations are.
"Last season, this program got a glimpse of greatness. You saw the excitement and what it meant to this community, this university. Everybody is excited about Memphis football. Now, it's our time to build off that. It's our time to show what the 2016 Tigers are going to be."
While spring practice officially begins Tuesday, Norvell points out that the Tigers have been working hard in the weight room during the off-season, and the players' physical changes will be noticeable.
"Coach (Josh) Storms has done an unbelievable job with the training of our guys," said Norvell, who helped bring Storms to Memphis from Arizona State. "That's one of the reasons we're starting (spring practice) a little later. We're starting later not only for the implementation of our schemes, but also to give our guys the opportunity to build their bodies.
"When you see some of the guys run on the field Tuesday, some of the physical changes we've had on this football team will be evident, and I'm extremely excited about that. These guys have worked and put in their time. You can tell they're hungry, and everyone is looking to make a good first impression."
In addition to player development during spring drills, Norvell wants the team to begin creating an identity that will carry over to the fall.
"We want to introduce our schemes, but I don't want to spend all of the spring on schemes," Norvell said. "I want to see who is getting better fundamentally. I want to see each one of our position players develop and be the best the players they can be. I want them preparing for what they can do this fall.
"We are going to begin establishing our identity. Right now, our guys are still very new to the terminology, so we know there are going to be some mistakes and some uncertainty there early. We're going to go out and establish the way we're going to practice. We're going to establish a finish mentality. We talk a lot to our guys about finishing what we start, and that begins on the practice field. That has to be the heartbeat of our team."
Tuesday is the first of 15 spring practices for the Tigers, which includes the Apr. 22 Friday Night Stripes spring game. Friday Night Stripes is slated for a 7 p.m. (CT) kick-off at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.
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