Tommy West’s speech after being fired as Memphis coach in 2009 may have woken up the Tigers’ football fan base, but it wasn’t until shiftless athletic director R.C. Johnson was also removed in 2011 that Memphis football began to shake off its doldrums. Justin Fuente took over in 2012 and spent four years revitalizing the program. He shared the American conference title in 2014 and scored a convincing win over Ole Miss last season, leading them to their highest poll ranking in school history.
When Fuente was justly rewarded with the Virginia Tech job, 35-year-old Mike Norvell took over.