Memphis received votes in 26 preseason college football poll

Tigers Receiving Votes in Preseason US LBM Coaches Poll

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The University of Memphis received nine votes in the 2026 US LBM Preseason Coaches Poll on Monday, checking in at No. 43 in the nation going into the season, the organization announced Tuesday.

Among those receiving votes are three of Memphis’ 2026 opponents in Boise State (24 votes), UNLV (17 votes) and Navy (three votes).

Head coach Charles Huff’s first season in Memphis is set to be an exciting one with eight of Memphis’ 11 FBS opponents earning bowl berths in 2025.

His 2026 squad includes a multitude of preseason all-conference selections by Phil Steele and Athlon Sports on both sides of the ball. From the two publications, Memphis received 19 total honors, highlighted by a defensive trio of first-teamers by both outlets in defensive lineman J’Mond Tapp, linebacker Mike Montgomery and Ian Foster, with Foster also garnering recognition as a preseason all-conference third team kick returner on Athlon Sports’ list.

The Tigers will have a six-game home slate at the new-look Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, hosting Arkansas State (Sept. 5) and UT Martin (Sept. 19) in nonconference matchups before American Conference games against UAB (Oct. 10) in the “Battle for the Bones”, East Carolina (Oct. 22), Army (Oct. 31) and Temple (Nov. 27 or 28).

Memphis also has a stout road late against two top programs out west in UNLV (Aug. 29) and Boise State (Sept. 12), along with conference matchups against Charlotte (Oct. 3), Tulane (Oct. 16), South Florida (Nov. 12) and Navy (Nov. 21), with the Green Wave, Bulls and Midshipmen all finishing in the top five in the American in 2025.

Here's the full Top 25 preseason release