Memphis interim head coach Reggie Howard met with the media to discuss his team and NC State prior to the Gasparilla Bowl.
NOTE: Click the video above to watch the zoom call.
Opening statement…
Okay, first thing I want to do is thank you guys for coming on and joining us. Secondly, I want to thank the Gasparilla Bowl and their entire staff for putting on an outstanding event. Third, I want to talk about the fact that our team has been down here working their butts off preparing for another powerful opponent in North Carolina State.
And we plan on playing our brand of football and representing the city of Memphis with that grit and grind that we're known for. Questions?
I'm sure Memphis media may know the origin story, but you have three key players that came in from Nevada. They want to stay together. How did that kind of happen?
Yeah, it was funny. We started out when we were trying to get Brendon Lewis to quarterback. And then we end up having the opportunity to bring in the linebacker Drue Watts.
And then later on, we were able to work out everything as far as getting our receiver in as well. So for us, it was a situation where all those guys had an opportunity to play together, and they pretty much helped recruit each other. So that helped us.
And we told them that if they came to Memphis, we can give them an opportunity to win championships and potentially continue to take their game to the next level.
It's been a minute here in the Queen City. Okay. I was down in Houston all those years ago when you had that memorable pick on Tom Brady. But tell me about your coaching journey to this point. I know you've been in the coaching game now, but here you are at the helm of this program in a bowl game and the emotions that go along with that.
Man, it's been a crazy journey. It initially started, I got a call back from one of my former alumni, Derrick Burroughs. He asked me to come out and help out with defensive backs out of Lane College. So I went and did that. And you know how you go and do something and you forget how much you love it? That's what it felt like.
I went out there and started coaching the DBs, and it was almost like the love for football came right back to me. So then I ended up reaching out to Coach Fox because I wanted to work with one of the minority internship programs with the NFL. So he brought me out to the Denver Broncos. I did that for a year. At that time, after I did that, I was kind of like, you know what, I want to coach, but I don't know if I'm ready to go down and do it that seriously. Because I saw the time commitment that it took.
So then I went back and I worked another year at Lane. And then I had an opportunity when I said, you know what, I'm ready to go ahead and make this move. So I ended up still working at Lane College in the afternoons or in the mornings.
And then I would go back to Memphis and coach my high school team as the defensive coordinator there, just so I could get used to having all the experience of coaching. So after doing that, I ended up doing another internship program with Coach Fox. At this time, now he's with the Chicago Bears.
So I go up there. When I did that, he actually gave me the option to stay. But my family was there in Memphis. I wasn't ready to move away from them again. I did that for football. So I felt like it was time for me to sacrifice opportunities to be closer to home.
So then I reached out to my agent, Jimmy Sexton, who represented me as a player. He just so happened to be one of the biggest names as far as agents and coaching. So then he connected me with Mike Norvell.
Norvell brought me in as a defensive assistant, basically a quality control defensive back coach for those guys. After the first year, Mike called me up. And it was crazy because Mike really never calls me up. So he calls me up after a big recruiting weekend. And he starts talking to me about Central Arkansas. And I was like, okay.
Then he asked me, would you be interested in a corner job there? He played with Nate Brown, who was actually his quarterback when he was there at Central Arkansas. So he said, well, Reg, what do you think?
I said, well, coach, can I be honest with you? He said, yeah, man, always be honest. I said, man, I'm only interested if you're not going to promote me here.
And he was very, very honest with me and said that at that time, I think he was bringing in Anthony Jones to come in as an offensive coach for them. And so I took the job at Central Arkansas. Went out there and coached the corners for two years.
Ended up having an All-American kid that was two-time All-American. Ended up getting drafted, fourth round scooter, Rochell, Robert Rochell. He ended up getting drafted fourth round to the Rams.
And then I get a call. When Norvell goes to Florida State, Ryan Silverfield gets the job here at Memphis. And so Silverfield called me and said, well, look, man, I want to bring you back home.
He actually called me right before the Cotton Bowl. And he was like, I want to bring you home. And so I said, well, cool, coach. I'm thinking about it. I like that. And then he told me, direct the high school relations.
And I was like, OK, what about the corners job? And so he told me he had already had a guy that he had already hired for that job. But then this would be an opportunity for me to come back home to Memphis.
And you know, when the coaching ran out, that it would be an opportunity for me to move up. So, I did high school relations for that year. And then after that year, I got a call from Mike Minter, who I played with the Carolina Panthers down in Campbell.
So then he calls me and wants me to come down and provide me with some coordinating experience. So I go there as a passing game coordinator and then get elevated to co-DC and then eventually to associate head coach while they're at Campbell.
After two years at Campbell, I got a call from Jack Del Rio, who I played for with the Carolina Panthers. And so he calls me up and really would like to come up. I want to bring you into the NFL. And so I take a quality control position with him.
Basically, I work directly with him. Everything he did from a DC, he basically was tutoring me on all those types of things. And so after that one year there with the Washington Commanders, I got a call back from Silverfield. And so it's funny how that worked was that when I left for Campbell, Silverfield was cool about everything initially.
He was like, hey man, go take the interview, all that. And then I come back and we work in a camp. And he's like, man, I meant to ask you how did that interview go with Campbell? I said, well, coach, it went well. They offered me a two year deal.
So he's like, man, I thought we were going to talk, before you made a decision. I said, well, coach, I ain't made a decision. I'm going to come up there and I'm going to sit down with you and we'll talk it out.
So I remember he started talking. I listened and I said, well, coach, I'm going to be honest with you. I think I'm going to take the job.
And, I saw his face turn red right in front of me. And so he was like, man, you're going to go to Campbell over Memphis. And I was like, well, coach, it's not a thing about that. It's the fact that this is a teammate of mine that I trust a lot.
And then this is an opportunity for me to grow. And I said at the end of the day, I want to be here in Memphis, but you don't have a position for me to be a full time coach.
So I go over here and get some experience. And when a spot comes open, call me. My number is not going to change. And so that's how we left it. So me and Silverfield had a good relationship when I left. So he calls me right before the last game of the season with the Commanders and offers me the corners job to come back to Memphis.
I took the job and then last year he moved me up to defensive backs coach. And then this year, the way the year went as far as him getting the opportunity to go to Arkansas.
I had no idea that it was going to make me the interim. I did some programs with the administration staff here, which was basically where they identified assistant coaches that had the potential to become head coaches.
And I was one of those four that was selected to do the program. And it was funny because the other three guys were actually coordinators. So for me, I took that very seriously. I thought the program was really well done by the University of Memphis because it gave me an opportunity to kind of train for that opportunity.
So when Dr. Scott made a decision to make me interim, I was ready and I told him that I wouldn't let him down and that I would do what was best for the University of Memphis and the student athletes at the school and the city.
And now, as you look across the sidelines with NC State, what are you seeing from them as you prepare for them this week?
I see a talented, talented team, man. I think they have some really good players on offense, starting with their quarterback. I think he's a dynamic guy that can get the ball anywhere around the field. I think he does a good job with his leadership as well as his poise. He does a good job of running the ball when he has to.
And then the other guys that are running back, the Hollywood kid, man, the kid's a home run guy, great speed, track speed. So, you have to worry about that guy. And then I think the next guy that's really a big factor is the tight end, Joly.
That kid right there, man, that's an NFL tight end, 6'4", 283, athletic as hell, can run, can block, can do everything that you look for. So when you look at those three guys just in itself, that's going to be a challenge for us on defense, but we're ready for that.
And then as far as on the defense, man, the upfront, they got some guys that can create some havoc. They have some guys on the back end that can make some plays on the ball.
And then in the middle, man, they got a linebacker, man, that makes every freaking tackle, 152 tackles, fifth in the nation. He's a guy that doesn't come off the field. So talent, talent, talent all across the field.
And then also from a coaching standpoint, you have some stability with a coach that's been there for 13 years. It's a big challenge. They're a good team.
But at the end of the day, man, we go prepare our way and we're excited for this opportunity. And we look forward to matching up real well with these guys.
If I may sneak one more in. I just got to get your thoughts as a guy who signed undrafted with the Panthers. And it's been a minute since they've been relevant. But with three games to go, they're playing some meaningful games. I mean, do you pay attention to them anymore? They still have a spot in your heart as you as you progress throughout this long and winding coaching road that you're on?
Yeah, I'm really excited about the Panthers, man, especially I was paying attention to them. But I really got excited when they brought Dan Morgan back in and made him the general manager. I think he's doing a great job this year.
They're starting to show that identity of what we had, we played. I think they're playing some good defense, defensive football. And then I think the young quarterback is starting to come around. And they're starting to get that identity of being able to run that ball, being physical, and being a tough team and finding ways to win the game at the end.
So kudos to Dan, man, I know, this year was a surprise to some people, but I knew he would figure it out. And I think this year is going to basically catapult him into being a really good team moving forward next year and years to come.
Reggie, thank you so much. Best of luck to you, sir. It's great to see you again.
Thank you, man. Appreciate you.
How have you kind of seen Brendon Lewis kind of help his teammates maybe adjust during these last few weeks? He has had a few coaches in his day over the last six years. Has he given some good wisdom on how to handle just the adversity of going through a coaching change?
Yeah, man, Brendon's been great, man. The leadership of our team has probably been, the player leadership has probably been a great asset for us, and he's one of them. Because even though we went through this transition, our guys have handled it really, really well as far as coming into the building with a positive mindset, looking for ways to get better.
And at the end of the day, man, we got a bunch of winners, man. I think for Brendon, I think it's been great for him because I think he got tired of losing, man, and coming into an atmosphere where we go into games, man, we are always expecting to win, no matter who the opponent is. So I think he's feeding off of that.
And, I think he's gotten healthy over this break. And we're excited about what B-Lo is going to do this Friday. So he's excited. We're excited. And I think he's doing a great job leading our team.
