ATLANTA — University of Memphis head football coach Ryan Silverfield has been named to the 2025 Dodd Trophy Preseason Watch List, announced on Monday. Silverfield is one of just two American Athletic Conference coaches and 26 total coaches nationally to be named to the list.

The watch list was created through a selection process by the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Peach Bowl, Inc. taking into consideration each program’s Academic Progress Rate (APR), Graduation Success Rate (GSR), commitment to service and charity in the community, as well as projected success for the 2025 season.

In a historic 2024 season, Silverfield led the program to its first back-to-back 10-plus win seasons after an 11-2 record and a 42-37 win at the Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl over West Virginia. The double-digit win season marked just the sixth in program history. Silverfield led Memphis to its 11^th-consecutive bowl appearance – the seventh-longest streak in the country and longest among non-Power 4 programs.

Ten Tigers earned All-AAC status with seven being named to the First Team – the most since joining the American in 2013 – while the 10 total honorees were the most for Memphis since the 2019 season where it had 14 on the list.

During the spring 2025 season, Memphis Football recorded the program’s highest GPA with a 3.4 while three student-athletes graduated with honors.