Why Memphis president Bill Hardgrave vows to be more vocal on conference realignment

University of Memphis president Bill Hardgrave does not want conference realignment to pass the Tigers by again.

And he’s letting everybody know it. Having already ticked several boxes to better position the school for a move up – win on the playing field, win in the classroom, invest in facilities and smooth out some looming compliance issues – Hardgrave believes spreading that news is the next logical step.

Hardgrave and athletic director Laird Veatch spoke to reporters Monday at the Billy J. Murphy Athletic Complex. They addressed their efforts to make the leap from the American Athletic Conference as the Big 12 expanded again and the ACC is reportedly exploring the same opportunity.

Hardgrave said he even made a phone call to another university president over the weekend to get the message out about Memphis.

“We are a well-kept secret and we should not be a well-kept secret,” he said, tapping the podium for emphasis. “I’ll just say I called a president (from) a really good conference. I said, ‘Do you really know who we are?’ We have to tell people our story and we will, going forward, be doing a much better job (with that).”

The biggest factor in Memphis’ conference realignment efforts remains addressing Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. In April, Tennessee’s General Assembly approved Gov. Bill Lee’s budget, which includes $350 million to fund various major renovation projects. A $150-$200 million slice of that amount is expected to go toward significant renovations at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. But the $350 million total has not yet been allocated, and the University of Memphis is still planning to start work on the project in early to mid-January 2024, Veatch said Monday.

“Our stadium upgrades are absolutely critical,” said Hardgrave. “We really need to move those forward to stay on time and on budget.”

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“We want to not lose out on the opportunity to maximize those state allocations to really help us in the most optimal way,” Veatch said.

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland, in a statement emailed to The Commercial Appeal Monday, said work on allocating funds has been ongoing “for the last several months.”

“These stadium renovation projects and their respective funding streams are complex, and we hope to have a resolution that everyone can be proud of in the near future,” Strickland said.

Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @munzly.