When Memphis women's soccer takes the field on Aug. 12 against Kennesaw State, the Tigers will be expected to win.
It's fitting that they are literally putting their best foot forward to kick off the 2026-27 sports season. Women's soccer has been the best and most consistent program at Memphis in recent years, and those Tigers will kick off what could be the most important year in the history of the athletic department.
The college sports offseason has been predictably dizzying, as it always seems to be in this day and age. The Protect College Sports Act, which could fundamentally transform the landscape, remains in a kind of limbo during a U.S. Senate recess. Conference realignment rumors are swirling, as they always are. And Memphis is in a new
era — since the last time it played a competitive game in any sport, there has been a major change.
On June 3, athletic director Ed Scott announced that Memphis would be at full revenue sharing for the 2026-27 year. That makes Memphis one of only two Group of Six athletic departments that have publicly said they're at the cap (South Florida is the other). The announcement also came with a kind of warning: Maximum revenue sharing investment will only be a temporary situation for the Tigers if they don't get into a power conference.
"I don't think we can sustain it more than a few years if we're not in," Scott said at the time.
It sets up a fascinating year across the athletic department. And it makes one thing crystal clear as Memphis kicks off for the first time — across the board, the Tigers have to win. And they have to do it now.
Memphis struggled in 2025-26
The Tigers won five American Conference titles overall in 2024-25. That number dropped to one (women's soccer regular season) in 2025-26, and it was a down year across the spectrum of Memphis' teams.
Football slumped in November and lost four straight games to end the season. Men's basketball had a historically bad season, while women's basketball struggled again and coach Alex Simmons was fired after the season. Softball and volleyball finished dead last in the conference.
Memphis finished fifth in the American in the Learfield Directors' Cup — an all-sports rating system for colleges.
There were positives near the end of the year, though. Baseball had been headed nowhere until coach Matt Riser's team showed signs of life and won multiple games in the conference tournament. Men's golf reached the NCAA Championships. And there's plenty of reason to believe that momentum can carry forward in 2026-27.
Why Memphis can improve this season
There has been a lot of change the past 12 months or so.
Consider: Penny Hardaway overhauled his staff and his roster in what's going to be a make-or-break season. Football (Charles Huff) and women's basketball (Hana Haden) have new coaches who have talked openly about establishing high expectations from the jump.
Women's soccer lost only one key player from last year's team that went undefeated the entire regular season. Men's soccer, volleyball and softball all could improve. For the first time since Riser took over before the 2024 season, baseball will begin the season with real momentum.
There's off the field momentum as well. Memphis raised the funds to get to full revenue sharing, a win for perception as much as anything else. The Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium renovations are set to be completed after two years, while progress is expected on soccer renovations for what will become Liza Wellford Fletcher Stadium.
Football — and to a lesser extent men's basketball — is what typically moves the needle when it comes to conference realignment conversations. But make no mistake about it — everything else matters, too. Scott has been open about that the second he stepped foot on Memphis' campus, saying at his introductory news conference in 2024 that improving Memphis' non-revenue sports would be key for the Tigers to get to a conference like the ACC.
"I have to win," Huff said after a Memphis preseason practice. "Fast."
He's not the only one.
Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at jonah.dylan@commercialappeal.com or on X @thejonahdylan.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Why 2026-27 might be most important year in Memphis athletics history
