Seth Henigan: Grant Gunnell transferred from Memphis football because he felt he wouldn't start
Memphis football has been quiet on quarterback Grant Gunnell's transfer to North Texas. On Friday, Tigers quarterback Seth Henigan provided some insight onto Gunnell's departure.
Henigan, who started all but one game last season as a true freshman, went on Sports56 on "Mornings with Greg & Eli" and was asked whether Gunnell's decision was surprising. Henigan said the two always chatted about how they were evaluated during spring practice.
"We're constantly communicating about what either other of us would do and we could see it. I was getting all the reps basically with the ones (first team) throughout the whole entire spring," Henigan said. "(Grant) made some great plays in the different spring games that we had. He had a great spring game. But in my opinion, he just felt like he knew I was going to be the guy so he was like, all right, I'm going to try and go start somewhere."
Henigan, who praised Gunnell as his best friend and mentor, added he believed Gunnell wanted a chance to start given his experience starting two seasons at Arizona before transferring to Memphis in December 2020.
More: Quarterback competition and explosive plays: What we learned from Memphis football spring game
More: Memphis football adds former Cal QB Ryan Glover from transfer portal
Henigan also understood Gunnell's decision because if he had lost the job, he would have decided to transfer.
"For Grant and I both, we've played collegiate football, we've been the guy before, we've started games in college football before," Henigan said. "That film, coaches love that film and they're like 'Oh he's played before so he can play here' and then they come after you. That's the nature of it all now, especially with teams with money and stuff like that. It's just a whole new era of college football with NIL (name, image and likeness)."
Henigan was a Freshman All-American last season after Gunnell suffered a season-ending leg injury during preseason practice. With Gunnell healthy, coach Ryan Silverfield re-opened competition for the quarterback job this spring, with Henigan entering as the starter.
Henigan started the Tigers' open scrimmage in Nashville and the spring game. Both quarterbacks led six drives during the scrimmage, and Henigan led six drives in the spring game to Gunnell's four. Gunnell looked sharper in the first scrimmage, leading three scoring drives, and had another strong showing in the spring game, leading two scoring drives while showing off his accuracy.
Henigan led two scoring drives in both the spring game and the Nashville scrimmage and was observed during open portions of spring practice leading the first team reps.
Gunnell and North Texas face Memphis on Sept. 24 at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium.
The Tigers added a commitment this week from former Cal quarterback Ryan Glover, but it's still a young room behind Henigan. The three remaining quarterbacks, Hunter Hulsey and true freshmen Tevin Carter and J.C. French, have yet to play in a game.
Henigan said he reached out to Glover via text but the two haven't spoken over the phone. He welcomed Glover for not just adding depth but in-game knowledge as Glover started one game at Cal and played at Penn and Western Carolina.
"Just adding another QB who is a little bit experienced, a little bit more wise, that should just benefit us in the quarterback room," Henigan said.
Want to stay informed on the latest Memphis sports news? A Commercial Appeal subscription gets you unlimited access to the best inside information and updates on local sports, and the ability to tap into sports news from throughout the USA TODAY Network's 109 local sites.
You can reach Evan Barnes on Twitter (@Evan_B) or by email at evan.barnes@commercialappeal.com
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis football QB Seth Henigan: Grant Gunnell knew he wasn't starter
