Familiar, Unfamiliar, and Out-of-the-Box: Potential Candidates for Memphis DC

In a week that’s been dominated by the official opening of the College Football Transfer Portal on Monday, Memphis fans received perhaps their biggest surprise of the week with the announced departure of two-year Defensive Coordinator Matt Barnes. On Wednesday, FootballScoop.com first reported that Barnes would be accepting a position on Jeff Lebby’s inaugural staff at Mississippi State as a Co-Defensive Coordinator with a primary focus on the defensive secondary. With the Tigers’ defensive performance seemingly deteriorating throughout the season, Ryan Silverfield will now have the opportunity to press the reset button on the defensive side of the ball, making his third defensive coordinator hire in what will be five seasons as the Tigers’ Head Coach. Paired with an offense that finished the regular season ranked 2nd in the AAC in points per game, the establishment of even a “middle-of-the-pack” defense could prove significant for the Tigers’ outlook in 2024. Some potential names thrown around in the search will be familiar, while others may be currently establishing themselves as up-and-comers elsewhere. Let’s break down some reasonable options for the Tigers.

Familiar

Jordon Hankins — Third-Year Memphis LB Coach/Assistant ST Coordinator

Joining the Tigers’ staff in 2021, Tennessee native Jordon Hankins has been quietly one of the top positional coaches of the Ryan Silverfield era. The 2023 season proved to be quite possibly his best coaching job yet, as the Tigers’ LB corps entered the year with only one returning starter in Geoffrey Cantin-Arku. You would’ve never known that today, though, as FCS transfer Chandler Martin proved to be a star in his first season at Memphis. Geoffrey Cantin-Arku undoubtedly show progression in his second season at Memphis, and Hankins’s unit ultimately proved to be the strength of the Tigers’ defense in 2023. In his lone season at Marshall in 2020, Hankins coached the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year in Senior Linebacker Tavante Beckett. Prior to Marshall, Hankins coached at his alma mater, UT-Martin, from 2010 to 2020, spending the last three as DC. In 2019, the Skyhawks boasted the league’s top scoring defense, red zone defense, and pass defense efficiency. It’s clear the guy produces wherever he’s planted and thus it’d be sensible to give the 14-year coaching veteran a look for the promotion as the Tigers’ next DC.

Galen Scott — Third-Year Louisiana LB Coach/Former Memphis DC (2015)

A name Tigers fans haven’t heard in some time, Galen Scott served on the Memphis coaching staff for six seasons, including one year as DC under Justin Fuente in 2015. Under Scott’s leadership, the Tigers’ defense helped secure one of the biggest wins over Hugh Freeze’s Ole Miss Rebels, which was the program’s first victory over a ranked opponent since 1996. Scott further had a substantial role in recruiting names like Dontari Poe and Tony Pollard during his time in Memphis. He would eventually follow Fuente to Virginia Tech where he twice helped the Hokies’ defense finish Top-15 in the country. Off the field issues ultimately forced Scott to step down as Co-Defensive Coordinator in Blacksburg, and he landed on Seth Littrell’s staff at North Texas for two seasons. Currently, Scott serves as the Linebackers Coach at Louisiana, where the Ragin’ Cajuns have finished ranked 11th nationally in scoring defense and 22nd nationally in total defense during his tenure. Louisiana will head into their bowl game ranked 59th nationally in total defense.

Unfamiliar

Corey Batoon — Second-Year South Alabama Defensive Coordinator

A native of Hawaii and long-time college athlete in California, South Alabama DC Corey Batoon is making a name for himself in the Southeastern coaching ranks. After stops at Central Missouri State, Arkansas State, Ole Miss, and Florida Atlantic (among others), the 32-year coaching veteran has the Jaguars ranked 28th nationally in total defense, 26th in rushing defense, 27th in tackles for loss, and 20th in red zone defense. Since becoming a defensive coordinator in 2017, Batoon’s teams have finished with double-digit victories four times. Despite his west coast roots, Batoon has experience coaching and recruiting within the Tigers’ stomping grounds since 2009. Becoming the Tigers’ DC would be his biggest job yet, but history suggests he could be up for the task. Then again, South Alabama HC Kane Wommack’s name has been linked to P5 jobs as recent as this hiring cycle. Could Batoon choose to stay put in Mobile with the potential of following his current boss to richer pastures sooner-than-later?

Zac Alley — Second-Year Jacksonville State Defensive Coordinator

The one-time youngest coordinator in all of FBS football, Zac Alley was named the DC at Louisiana-Monroe in 2021 at just 27 years old. While not much older than some of his players, Alley turned what was the 125th ranked rushing defense in FBS into the 69th ranked rush defense in just one year. In a single season as coordinator at Louisiana-Monroe, Alley helped the Warhawks improve their national defensive ranking in 11 out of 14 defensive categories. Working and winning championships under names like Dabo Swinney, Brent Venables, and Bryan Harsin, Alley was brought to Jacksonville State by veteran Rich Rodriguez after the two worked as side-by-side at Louisiana-Monroe. In his second season at Jacksonville State and the Gamecocks’ first season at the FBS level, Alley’s defense ranks 1st in Conference USA in team sacks, points allowed, total defense, rushing defense, and 2nd in Conference USA in offensive yards allowed. Remember, many of the players on his roster were recruited while the Gamecocks were in the FCS, too. Memphis could very well express interest in the young phenom just 300 miles down the road, but it’s likely they won’t be the only ones checking in with the “30 under 30” coaching listee.

Out-of-the-Box

Daniel Bullocks — Seventh-Year San Francisco 49ers’ Secondary Coach

Since becoming a head coach, Ryan Silverfield has publicly mentioned how his time coaching in the NFL influences his management philosophy. An admitted Leslie Frazier disciple, could Silverfield reach out to an old conference foe in former Detroit Lion Daniel Bullocks? A four-year NFL safety and Chattanooga, Tennessee native, Bullocks spent four years coaching in the college ranks before jumping back to the professional ranks to coach in the NFL. The 49ers’ secondary consistently ranks among the best in the NFL and Bullocks’s secondaries at Eastern Michigan and Northern Iowa put up league-topping numbers while starting his coaching career in the early 2010’s. While the NFL positional coach to college coordinator jump isn’t awfully common, several schools have chosen the NFL route in previous hiring cycles. Alabama’s Kevin Steele, Kentucky’s Liam Coen, and Michigan’s Jesse Minter each spent time in the NFL in addition to working as coordinators at the college football level.

Stay tuned for continuing coverage of the Tigers’ defensive coordinator search. With Early Signing Day under two weeks away, it’ll be worth monitoring how quickly Silverfield elects to interview candidates. A scenario could also arise where a hire isn’t named until after the bowl season. Sign up for the BCM Discord to be the first to hear news as it breaks.