The return of Memphis Tigers football; first look at Commerical Appeal's Dandy Dozen

Welcome back to the Memphis Sports newsletter. It’s Ray Padilla, The Commercial Appeal’s digital producer, bringing you the latest in sports news.

The Memphis Tigers’ football season is just a month away and preseason practices are just beginning — starting today.

As coach Ryan Silverfield jumps into his third official season, many questions still remain about his roster stand after the spring.

Our Evan Barnes puts together our prediction of the Tigers’ depth chart based on discussions with the coaching staff and observations from the spring game — a first look at who to watch and what positions we should be monitoring.

The Dandy Dozen: 3 out of 12 promising young athletes

As an annual project here at the Commerical Appeal, we highlight some of the top players in the area in a feature series, beginning with the list of 12 prospects from the class of 2023.

Our Wynston Wilcox compiled a list of the 12 players on our Dandy Dozen who will be featured.

Here’s a look at three promising young athletes we’ve featured so far:

Sheffield High School senior leads state in interceptions

Sheffield High School senior Mark Joseph transformed opposing quarterbacks’ mistakes into a state-leading 10 interceptions in 2021, Wynston reports. 

The number of interceptions led to Sheffield coach Edward Kuykendoll nicknaming Joseph “the eraser.”

“He erases all negative plays,” Kuykendoll said of his all-state defensive back.

Joseph’s success earns him the No. 12 spot on The Commercial Appeal’s Dandy Dozen.

Why Southaven’s Ian Jeffries returned to high school football after not playing for 10 years

Southaven’s Ian Jeffries took a 10-year hiatus from football but returned to the field as a junior in 2021, Chris Van Tuyl reports.

“He met me early in the weight room one morning, when I wasn’t even expecting him, saying he was ready to play football — 'That's my best ticket to go to college,' Southaven coach Eddie Stevenson said. "And that’s the best answer he could have given me, because I’ve heard a lot in my 20 years.

"Just watching how he’s blossomed has made him so much better on the basketball court. And in his case, one of the selling points that I’ve given to all these colleges is he’s raw. He’s got so many great years ahead of him.”

Jeffries is named No. 11 in The Commercial Appeal’s Dandy Dozen.

Lausanne football transfer Zamariyon Kendall motivated by his late mother

Transferring from Henry County, Zamariyon Kendall is a three-star running back and is the No. 48 prospect in the state and No. 86 running back in the country.

However, Kendall’s talents go beyond football and he’s earned the No. 10 spot on the Commercial Appeal’s Dandy Dozen, our Alexis Davis reports.

Read Alexis’ story to hear about Kendall’s move to Memphis and how his family has supported the young football prospect.

This has been a recap of what to know for Memphis Sports. Be prepared for more frequent newsletters as we feature more Dandy Dozen athletes and gear up for the University of Memphis’ return. If you know someone else that might enjoy this newsletter, please encourage them to sign up here.

The Memphis Sports newsletter was written by Ray Padilla, the digital producer for The Commercial Appeal, and features stories written by Evan Barnes, Wynston Wilcox, Chris Van Tuyl, and Alexis Davis. Ray can be reached at raymond.padilla@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @Ray_Padilla_.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis Sports: Tigers football returns; first look at Dandy Dozen