For Memphis football, the 2025 season isn’t just about filling the void left by departing stars or hoping another batch of transfer portal additions pans out. It’s about survival. And to survive in the American Conference this fall, the Tigers must do something they struggled with at times in past years: slow down elite quarterbacks.
There’s no sugarcoating it. The road to the American title game runs directly through a gauntlet of signal-callers who can take over games—and seasons. With South Florida’s Byrum Brown, Florida Atlantic’s Caden Veltkamp, and now Tulane’s recent addition of former BYU standout Jake Retzlaff, Memphis faces a murderers’ row of quarterbacks who will test every level of their retooled defense.
The question is no longer whether Memphis has enough offensive firepower to compete—it does. The real question is whether the Tigers can win high-pressure games where one or two stops on defense can flip the outcome. In a league defined by dynamic quarterback play, Memphis will need more than just points. It will need answers.
The Byrum Brown Problem
Start with South Florida’s Byrum Brown, a player who might be the best quarterback in the American this year. Before an injury disrupted his 2024 campaign, Brown had emerged as the engine of an explosive Bulls offense. Now healthy, he returns to a USF team with a loaded offensive line, a proven receiving corps led by Keshaun Singleton, and a system tailored to Brown’s dual-threat abilities.
Brown is a nightmare matchup. He’s efficient in the short passing game, dangerous on the move, and makes defenses pay when they get too aggressive. Controlling Brown against a Memphis defense with only one returning top-15 tackler from 2024 could prove to be one of the most difficult assignments of the season.
Expect Memphis to throw everything they can at Brown—delayed blitzes, disguised coverages, maybe even some exotic looks from coordinator Jordon Hankins. But the margin for error will be razor thin. In games like these, one blown coverage or missed tackle can result in a 60-yard score. Memphis will need discipline, execution, and perhaps some breakthrough performances from new faces in the secondary.
Veltkamp’s Vertical Threat
If Byrum Brown is the league’s best-established quarterback, Caden Veltkamp might be its most intriguing newcomer. The former Western Kentucky signal-caller followed offensive coordinator Zach Kittley to Florida Atlantic and brought a high-octane, pass-first style that would stretch defenses from sideline to sideline and force them to defend every blade of grass.
Kittley’s system is built around tempo and spacing. If given time, Veltkamp has a live arm, solid mobility, and enough command to put up video game numbers. In 2023 at Western Kentucky, he flashed moments of brilliance, and with weapons like Easton Messer reuniting with him in Boca Raton, the Owls could be one of the surprise offenses in the American.
For Memphis, this matchup is less about stopping Veltkamp outright and more about disrupting the rhythm. The Tigers must pressure the quarterback early and often. If they allow Veltkamp to sit in the pocket, Memphis could find itself on the wrong end of a 40-point explosion. That makes the pass rush—led by William Whitlow—a crucial storyline. They’ll give themselves a chance if Whitlow and Memphis’ retooled front seven can make life uncomfortable for Veltkamp.
Tulane’s Quarterback Room Adds Intrigue
While Tulane may not have a set-in-stone starter like South Florida or WKU, their quarterback situation adds a different type of challenge — unpredictability.
The Green Wave brought in former BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff this offseason, adding competition to a room that already included Ball State transfer Kadin Semonza, Iowa transfer Brendan Sullivan, and Illinois transfer Donovan Leary. While Retzlaff has the most proven production of the bunch — nearly 3,000 passing yards and 26 total touchdowns in his last full season — the real story is how Jon Sumrall continues to get results regardless of who lines up behind center.
Sumrall has a track record of identifying and developing QBs who complement his system. At Troy, he won with Gunnar Watson and Jarret Doege. At Tulane last season, he guided the Green Wave to double-digit wins despite major injury concerns at quarterback. The presence of Retzlaff simply raises the ceiling.
For Memphis, preparing for Tulane isn’t just about stopping a single quarterback. It’s about accounting for a scheme that adapts week to week and is led by one of the sharpest offensive minds in the Group of Five. With revenge on Tulane’s mind after last year’s loss, the Tigers will need a complete effort to pull off another win.
Why It All Matters
Why all the focus on quarterbacks?
Because in this year’s version of the American, quarterback play is the great separator. Teams like Army and Navy will continue to pound the rock and play defense, but the programs with the most upside—South Florida, Tulane, FAU, and even UTSA—are the ones who can drop 35 points in a heartbeat. And if Memphis wants to finally reach the conference title game for the first time under Ryan Silverfield, it has to find a way to hold those teams under that threshold.
That puts pressure on the defense, yes. But it also makes situational football—the ability to get red zone stops, force turnovers, and avoid explosive plays—more important than ever.
In 2024, Memphis often played just well enough on defense to win. In 2025, “just enough” might not cut it. This team doesn’t need to field the best defense in the conference, but it does need to find a way to limit damage when facing elite QBs. That could be the difference between an 8-win season and a championship run.
The Bigger Picture
Silverfield’s squad has the potential to contend in 2025 despite the sixth-place projection from Athlon Sports. The offense will be productive, and the special teams remain a strength. But the reality is this: Memphis will go as far as its defense can carry them against the league’s best quarterbacks.
The Tigers don’t have to be perfect. They just need to be disruptive.
Because in this version of the American Conference, you can’t win the league if you can’t stop the quarterback.
And for Memphis, the road to the title is clear. It’s just paved with elite arms.
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