Inject this right into my freaking veins!
They say you shouldn’t fix what isn’t broken, and right now, Memphis football is far from broken.
The Tigers have been one of the more consistent Group of Five programs in college football over the past several years, with coaches like Mike Norvell and Ryan Silverfield keeping Memphis relevant and marching towards a new standard of winning.
So, when new head coach Charles Huff took over the program after Silverfield left for Arkansas, you would be forgiven if you thought the new sheriff in town would be doing things in a similar manner to his predecessor.
While I’m sure Huff is sticking to old arrangements in some capacity, there is one particular quirk when it comes to practice that is a new wrinkle in Memphis: no music.
When pressed on why he’s decided to go a cappella, Huff gave an all-time answer.
Inject this right into my freaking veins!
That is a football guy if I’ve ever seen one.
“If I have to play music to get you to play the game you love at a high level,” Huff said, “(Then) we’ve got the wrong guys.”
Huff went out of his way to say that his players should be more focused on the task at hand than who “has the aux” or “who’s hitting play.”
“When the Navy SEALs get ready to go on a mission, they’re not listening to Lil Baby. When they’re training to go to war… they ain’t listening to NBA YoungBoy.”
I’m sorry if this seems like a Boomer take (I’ve certainly NEVER had one of those), but this is so refreshing.
Let me go on record as saying that I don’t have a problem with teams listening to music at practice, but I also love when a coach is willing to think outside the box with regard to motivational tactics.
As you would have guessed, public opinion is pretty split on the matter, with some praising the decision while others are scratching their heads and wondering why Huff is training his football team like Navy SEALs.
It remains to be seen if Huff’s tactics will work, as he has some rather large shoes to fill left behind by his two immediate predecessors.
I’ll be rooting for him though, because in today’s day and age of instant gratification through the transfer portal and NIL contracts, it’s nice to see an old school, hard-assed football guy in action.
Coaches like Charles Huff are a dying breed, so here’s hoping he breaks the mold and is successful at Memphis.
And I better not catch any of you listening to Lil Baby while you work on those spreadsheets!