A Picture of Perseverance – The An’Darius Coffey Story

Take the short trip from Memphis down I-55 to Winona, Mississippi, and you’ll find that the town with a population of a little over 5,000 loves its football team. Boasting the oldest football program in the entire state, the Winona High School Tigers have fielded a team since 1905. Ask anyone in the town about the school’s football history, and they’ll undoubtedly tell you about the name An’Darius Coffey.

A proud football program established over 115 years ago, there’s no question Coffey is one of the greatest to ever wear the red-and-white. A true dual-threat quarterback at the high school level, Coffey threw for 3,471 yards and 39 touchdowns while rushing for 3,399 yards and 48 touchdowns throughout his career in Winona. During Coffey’s high school career, Winona would break records for the most wins in a season (13 in 2018), most points scored in a season (523 in 2017), and the longest-ever win streak (13 in 2018).

Leading his team to a district championship and state semifinal appearance in 2018, Coffey quickly caught the attention of his home state’s flagship university, the University of Mississippi. Following his junior season, a strong showing at an Ole Miss prospect camp gave head coach Matt Luke and the Rebels all the information they needed to make an early scholarship offer to Coffey. Hoping to put all his focus toward his senior year, Coffey committed to the Rebels the same summer he was offered.

The lure of playing in the SEC wasn’t Coffey’s main attraction toward playing at Ole Miss, however. “I committed to Ole Miss because Coach Clark was there; he and coach (Mike) MacIntyre”, Coffey told Bluff City Media. As one of the Rebels’ earliest commitments in the 2020 class, Coffey and lead recruiter Charles Clark were able to develop a strong relationship throughout Coffey’s senior season. After the Rebels ended the 2019 season with a 4-8 record, though, head coach Matt Luke and most of his staff were shown the door at Ole Miss.

On December 10, 2019, the University of Mississippi announced the hire of Lane Kiffin as its new head football coach, and ten days later, Coffey was contacted by the outgoing coach Clark and informed his commitment to the Rebels was no longer going to be honored by the new coaching staff at Ole Miss. “Clark and Mac told me it was time for me to decommit; Kiffin wasn’t going to sign me,” Coffey said, and with National Signing Day less than two months away, Coffey was scrambling to find a new football home.

While searching for a landing place himself, coach Charles Clark continued his relationship with Coffey. “Duke offered me, I got referenced (to them) by Coach Clark,” and when Clark and MacIntyre were hired to join Ryan Silverfield’s inaugural staff in January 2020, Coffey was immediately offered to follow the two coaches he had formed the strongest bond with to their new jobs in Memphis. “I was torn because of the academic opportunity at Duke, but I felt more at home at Memphis with Coach Clark.” After initially signing his letter of intent with Duke, An’Darius swapped his pledge to the Tigers on National Signing Day, joining his trusted coach in Memphis.

With a recruiting fiasco behind him, Coffey arrived in Memphis with high anticipation. Unfortunately, adversity struck Coffey’s life once again. Before the start of his true freshman season, it was discovered that he arrived at Memphis with an untreated shoulder injury. Playing through the pain, Coffey was limited to special teams play throughout the 2020 season. Corrective surgery the following offseason caused An’Darius to miss all of spring practice, and after returning to the team for only three weeks, Coffey tore a ligament in his knee, forcing him to miss his entire second year with the Tigers. After months of rehabbing, An’Darius was back to ground zero.

While working to get back healthy, Coffey continued to ponder his collegiate future. A local superstar on the offensive side of the ball, An’Darius elected to enter the transfer portal to show the Memphis staff he was ready to try playing a skill position at the collegiate level. His wish was granted, and as a redshirt sophomore, Coffey recorded only 15 rushing attempts for 83 yards in 2022. “Letting go was the hardest thing for me,” An’Darius said of his decision to move back to offense.

Back to a full state of health and entering his redshirt junior season, Coffey asked himself, “How can I best help the team?” Approaching Ryan Silverfield, An’Darius expressed his willingness to move back to defense and humbly allowed his head coach to make the final decision regarding where he would play in the 2023 season. “It was my idea to discuss it, and solely his decision as the head coach to help me make that switch.”

Last week when the first official depth chart was released before the Tigers’ opening game against Bethune-Cookman, Coffey was listed on the two-deep at the STAR position alongside Davion Ross. After an up-and-down college career in Memphis, the Winona, Mississippi legend finally received his opportunity to make his mark as a Memphis Tiger. Fully healthy with a chance to shine, Coffey finished Saturday’s game with his first career sack, a TFL, and four total tackles on the night.

While 2,918 FBS players entered the transfer portal in 2022, it appears Coffey’s selfless decision to stick with the Tigers proved to be a wise one. An athlete of Coffey’s caliber could have easily moved on to play running back elsewhere, but he’s instead elected to embrace the role his faithful coach envisioned for him over four years ago. “What has kept me (in Memphis) is what’s in the locker room,” Coffey said, “If you come in our locker room (you’ll see) we’re so tight as a family. Even as a coaching staff, it makes you feel at home.” “We’ve had two average seasons and now we know what that feeling is, but family is what has made me stick it out.”

Talking with Coffey on Tuesday, it was apparent that, now healthy and in a solidified role with the team, he’ll be looking to become that same show-stopper he once was down in Winona, Mississippi. Focused on the season at hand, Coffey told Bluff City Media that Matt Barnes’ defensive unit “talks about grit every day” in the locker room. “We’re going to be consistent for all four quarters.”

While Arkansas State suffered one of the worst losses in its program’s history last Saturday, Coffey, now a veteran leader at Memphis, emphasized that the Tigers aren’t overlooking their nearby rival. “As a defense, we understand how serious this game is, because it’s the next game.”

Beaming with pride as he spoke about Coffey on Monday, Ryan Silverfield shared his thoughts on the battle-tested Tiger — “An’Darius has grown into his role (and I) have high expectations for him,” “Very happy, because he’s a great young man.” In a college football landscape where it’s often easier to move on when the going gets difficult, An’Darius Coffey serves as a testament that “success is no accident”.