Meet new Tigers football beat writer Jonah Dylan
Meet Jonah Dylan, the Commercial Appeal's new Memphis football beat reporter.
Dylan, 25, comes to Memphis from CT Insider, where he covered local government in Hartford for the past year. Before that, he covered breaking news for the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He graduated from Northwestern University in 2020.
He takes over the Tigers football beat from Evan Barnes, who left to cover the Brooklyn Nets for Newsday.
Get to know Dylan — who also will assist with Grizzlies coverage — with this Q&A.
What made you interested in this job?
A lot. I've been interested in sports writing for a while and this felt like a great opportunity for my career. I know Memphis cares deeply about its sports teams, and there will always be plenty of things to write about with the Tigers. The opportunity to connect with the fans and provide unique coverage of the Tigers football team was definitely a major selling point. It's also a time of uncertainty and near-constant change across college sports because of conference realignment, so I knew this job would keep me on my toes. I honestly can't wait to dive in.
How much did you know about the Tigers football program before getting to Memphis?
As someone who mostly followed the Big Ten and the general national landscape, not a ton. I remember the Cotton Bowl season and knew that Mike Norvell had left and been replaced by Ryan Silverfield. I could name Paxton Lynch and Brady White, for sure, and probably a few more players currently in the NFL. Antonio Gibson is on my dynasty fantasy football team, so there's another one right off the bat. Even before getting the job, I knew this would be an important year for the Tigers because of the new-look AAC. With UCF, Cincinnati and Houston gone, there's a real opportunity at the top of the conference.
But I'm also excited to dive into a new beat and get to know the history of the program. Success can be fleeting in college sports, but it also means almost every team has legit reason to be genuinely excited in the offseason. I've only just started, but I'm already working on story ideas for the near future. A teaser: Memphis has a third-year starter at quarterback, but very little returning receiving production. How will that play out?
More: Ryan Silverfield says he understands why Memphis football was picked fourth in AAC poll
What can readers expect from your coverage?
I want it to be in-depth, but I also want it to be easy to read and to the point. I want to tell stories that others aren't telling. I'm hoping to complement traditional coverage with feature stories that provide a different kind of angle on the team. That might mean going in-depth on a specific formation or play that unlocked the offensive play calling, or it might mean a longer profile of a player most fans don't know much about. I hope fans can read our coverage and consistently be learning new things about the players, coaches and program as a whole.
I've been a sports fan my whole life, but I've always gravitated toward the stories behind what we see on the court or the field. I'll always look for that kind of off-the-beaten-path approach to writing and reporting, and I think this is a really good place to do it.
And I'd love to hear from you on what you want to see. I'm at Jonah.Dylan@commercialappeal.com and on Twitter (or X, I guess?) @TheJonahDylan. I'm very excited to get started as practices begin this week.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Meet new Tigers football beat writer Jonah Dylan
