Memphis postponed Spring Fest on April 16 because of the forecast of inclement weather on April 18, moving the event that had been scheduled for Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium to a later date. The Tigers will still finish spring practice on April 18, but they will do it with a closed practice at their facility instead of the public showcase many fans had expected.
Spring Fest was set to replace the annual spring game, and new coach Charles Huff had chosen a practice format with fan engagement elements rather than a traditional scrimmage. For most Memphis fans, it would have been the first look at the progress made on renovations to Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, a project that has been underway for years and is expected to be completed before the start of the 2026 season.
The postponement also comes at a time when Memphis is reshaping itself almost from the ground up. The Tigers will head into the 2026 season with an almost entirely new roster, and West Florida transfer Marcus Stokes and South Carolina transfer Air Noland are competing for the starting quarterback job. Offensive coordinator Kevin Decker is bringing in a wide spread offense built around speed, while defensive coordinator Lance Guidry’s 4-2-5 scheme will look different from the 3-3-5 alignment Memphis fans have seen the past few seasons.
That changeover is part of what made Spring Fest matter beyond the calendar. Southern Miss transfers J'Mond Tapp, Mike Montgomery and Ian Foster are expected to play major roles on defense, and the public event was going to give fans a first feel for how the new pieces fit together. Instead, Memphis will return to practice in the summer before opening the season at UNLV on Aug. 29, with the weather now the only thing that kept the stadium reveal from happening on schedule.
