2023 Memphis Showboats season

2023 Memphis Showboats season
OwnerNational Spring Football League Enterprises Co, LLC, (Fox Sports)
General managerDave Razzano
Head coachTodd Haley
Home fieldSimmons Bank Liberty Stadium
Results
Record5–5
League place4th in South Division
Playoff finishDid not qualify

The 2023 season was the Memphis Showboats' inaugural season in the United States Football League, their first at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, and their first under the head coach/general manager tandem of Todd Haley and Dave Razzano.[1]

Offseason

Stadium Plans

Shortly before the completion of the 2022 season, the USFL announced plans to move into two or four hubs for teams to play in.[2] In November, the USFL was reportedly exploring options of having a hub in Metro Detroit, with possible locations being the Eastern Michigan Eagles' Rynearson Stadium and the Detroit Lions' Ford Field.[3]

When it was announced that the Showboats would be added to the USFL to take the place of the former Tampa Bay Bandits, it was announced that Memphis would be one of the hub cities for the 2023 season. They will share their hub with the Houston Gamblers.[4]

Draft

The Showboats clinched the 4th pick in the 2023 USFL draft and hold the fourth pick in each round.

2023 Memphis Showboats Draft
Round Selection Player Position College Notes
1 4 Mason Brooks Offensive tackle Mississippi State
2 11 Isaiah Bolden Cornerback Jackson State
3 19 Brevin Allen Defensive end Campbell
4 27 Benny Sapp III Defensive back Northern Iowa
5 35 Michael Ezeike Tight end UCLA
6 43 Jerome Carvin Offensive lineman Tennessee
7 51 Nehemiah Shelton Cornerback San Jose State
8 59 Trea Shropshire Wide receiver UAB
9 67 Silas Dzansi Offensive lineman Virginia Tech
10 75 Antonio Fletcher Safety Southern Illinois

Personnel

Roster

The Showboats, like all other teams, have a 38-man active roster with a 7-man practice squad.[5]

2023 Memphis Showboats roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

  • 11 Ezra Gray
  •  8 Juwan Washington

Wide receivers (WR)

  • 18 Ryan McDaniel
  • 85 John Mitchell
  • 19 D. J. Myers

Tight ends (TE)

  • 88 Jay Jay Wilson
 Offensive linemen (OL)
  • 69 Matthew Burrell C/G
  • 67 Tyran Hunt G
  • 75 Lukayus McNeil T
  • 55 Terronne Prescod G
  • 64 Kwan Stallworth G

Defensive linemen (DL)

  • 59 Big Kat Bryant DE
  • 90 Dillon Faamatau DT
  • 45 Jordan Ferguson DE
  • 93 Sulaiman Kamara DT
  • 33 Jeff McCulloch DE
  • 91 Cory Thomas DT
 Linebackers (LB)
  • 50 Anthony Butler ILB
  • 20 Aaron Hansford LB
  • 39 Abdulmalik Lawal OLB
  •  5 T. J. Neal OLB
  • 41 Greg Reaves OLB

Defensive backs (DB)

  • 40 Stephen Griffin S
  • 23 Lamont McPhatter II S
  • 42 Antonio Reed S
  • 22 Troy Warner CB
  • 27 Kyree Woods S

Special teams

  • 44 Ryan DiSalvo LS

Reserve

  • 70 Clayton Bradley T (IR)
  • 61 Darta Lee T (IR)
  • -- Cheyenne O'Grady TE (Susp.)
Rookies in italics
50 active, 9 reserve

Staff

2023 Memphis Showboats staff

Front office

  • General manager – Dave Razzano

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

  • Offensive coordinator/running backs – Bob Saunders
  • Offensive quality control/wide receivers – Yale van Dyne
  • Special teams/tight ends – Frank Gansz Jr.
  • Offensive line – James Saxon
 Defensive coaches
  • Defensive coordinator – Carnell Lake
  • Defensive line – Trey Jackson
  • Linebackers – Steven Thompson
  • Defensive quality control/defensive backs – Brock Marion




Schedule

Regular Season

Week Date Time (ET) Opponent Result Record TV Venue Recap
1 April 15 4:30 p.m. vs. Philadelphia Stars L 23–27 0–1 Fox Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium Recap
2 April 22 7:00 p.m. at Birmingham Stallions L 2–42 0–2 Fox Protective Stadium Recap
3 April 29 7:00 p.m. at Houston Gamblers L 26–30 0–3 Fox Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium Recap
4 May 6 7:30 p.m. at Michigan Panthers W 29–10 1–3 NBC Ford Field Recap
5 May 14 3:00 p.m. at New Orleans Breakers W 17–10 2–3 Fox Protective Stadium Recap
6 May 20 12:30 p.m. vs. Pittsburgh Maulers W 22–0 3–3 USA Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium Recap
7 May 28 3:00 p.m. vs. Houston Gamblers W 23–20 4–3 USA Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium Recap
8 June 4 1:00 p.m. at New Jersey Generals W 25–16 5–3 Fox Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium Recap
9 June 10 3:00 p.m. vs. New Orleans Breakers L 3–31 5–4 NBC, CNBC[a] Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium Recap
10 June 17 4:00 p.m. vs. Birmingham Stallions L 20–27 5–5 Fox Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium Recap

Bold indicates divisional opponent.

Standings

South Division
#
W L PCT GB DIV PF PA STK
1 (y) Birmingham Stallions 8 2 .800 - 4–2 287 196 W5
2 (x) New Orleans Breakers 7 3 .700 1 4–2 237 184 W3
3 (e) Houston Gamblers 5 5 .500 3 2–4 223 236 L2
4 (e) Memphis Showboats 5 5 .500 3 2–4 190 213 L2
(x)–clinched playoff berth; (y)–clinched division; (e)–eliminated from playoff contention

Notes

  1. ^ Rain delay caused the 2nd through 4th quarters to be shown on CNBC, due to local and primetime programming on NBC.[6]

References

  1. ^ "USFL hires new general managers for two teams". FOX Sports. Retrieved 2023-02-07.
  2. ^ "USFL will return for second season, will play in multiple hub cities with no expansion in 2023". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 2023-02-07.
  3. ^ "USFL explores Metro Detroit hub for 2023; Eastern Michigan has been contacted". The Detroit News. Retrieved 2023-02-07.
  4. ^ "USFL comes home to Memphis for the 2023 season | USFL". FOX Sports. Retrieved 2023-02-07.
  5. ^ "USFL to have a "player selection meeting" on February 22–23". ProFootballTalk. 2022-01-04. Retrieved 2023-02-07.
  6. ^ "USFL on Twitter: When the game between the @USFLBreakers and @USFLShowboats resumes, you can tune in on CNBC and Peacock to catch the conclusion of the game".