Coach Ryan Silverfield Promises to Change Identity of Arkansas Razorbacks

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — There were many people in the ear of Ryan Silverfield during the coaching carousel at the end of the regular season.

The former Memphis coach along with fellow American Conference rivals were highly sought after commodities this offseason as Eric Morris (North Texas), Alex Golesh (USF) and Jon Sumrall (Tulane) were courted by several programs with openings.

Arkansas hasn't been considered a quality job from outsiders for some time now, and there were some doubters of Silverfield for why he would choose the Razorbacks over other schools in play.

“They said ‘You can’t win there. Should’ve taken UCLA, Auburn.’ I said no, I like that we can set the standard at Arkansas," Silverfield said at the Little Rock Rotary Club Tuesday. "We have one power four win at home the last few years, we will change that standard”

Arkansas Razorbacks coach Ryan Silverfield during his introductory press conference at Frank Broyles Center. | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

Silverfield, who spent time around the country at various stops in the NFL at Minnesota and Detroit for many years before becoming a loyal offensive assistant to Mike Norvell at Arizona State and Memphis from 2015-2019.

He even spent a few years at the high school level in Florida for two different programs after suffering a neck injury that forced him to retire from football completely. Arkansas' new head man has won plenty of games, dropped a few he shouldn't have, and experienced the lows of losing across his 20-year career.

Whether he's in the mired in a losing streak, or enjoying a 21-5 stretch, Silverfield's positive message of being "all in" never changes. He remains upbeat and held together through times of adversity which are both signs of strong leadership

A lot of that mentality of being "all in" is about playing a responsible brand of football built on accountability. He covets holding onto the football, playing mistake and penalty free football.

"Ball security has been a major issue here at Arkansas," Silverfield said. "I don't want to talk on the past but we have to do a better job of taking care of the football and playing disciplined football, being more penalty free."

Former Memphis Tigers coach Ryan Silverfield reacts to the referees during the first half against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. | Wesley Hale-Imagn Images

He saw the issue firsthand last season when the Razorbacks blew a 28-10 halftime lead at Memphis mostly due to three turnovers, including a fumble by running back Mike Washington with 1:18 to go in the fourth quarter. The Tigers came away victorious with a 32-31 victory which was nearly the final nail in former coach Sam Pittman's tenure.

Arkansas totaled 19 turnovers last season (11 interceptions, eight lost fumbles), but had an additional six fumbles that were recovered without losing possession. Obviously, Silverfield is aware of the glaring issue and vows that his version of the Razorbacks will prioritize ball security.

That will be rather refreshing considering how porous that aspect of the offense has been the previous two years under the guidance of previous offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino.

Over the previous four seasons at Memphis, the Tigers have been one of the most responsible teams in the nation with the football on a consistent basis. Silverfield's teams ranked No. 16 in 2022 at +6 in turnover margin, No. 17 in 2023 at +5, No. 2 in 2023 at +18, and No. 15 in 2025 at +7.

During that same period, Arkansas finished a flat zero in turnover margin which ranked No. 30 nationally, No. 75 in 2023 at -1, No. 112 in 2024 at -8, and No. 125 last season at -11.

Razorbacks' defender watches Texas fumble bounce out of bounds in the fourth quarter — When the Texas Longhorns fumbled in the fourth quarter, the Arkansas Razorbacks' defense couldn't quite get to the ball before it bounced out of bounds, leaving Texas with a first down. | Nilsen Roman-Hogs on SI Images

Not only will Silverfield's Arkansas teams be disciplined on the field, but also in the classroom, in public and every aspect of life.

"How you do anything is how you do everything," Silverfield said. "We are constantly talking about the little things. We had a player tell me yesterday, '[I was] 14 seconds late for study hall, just 14 seconds late.'

"I had some church words for him. We handled with physical punishment and held him accountable because he was late for something he said he was going to do. Everything in this program matters. From how we talk to women, to where we park, to knowing the place. If we can trust you to handle the little things we can trust you when it's fourth-and-one and the game is on the line."

While Silverfield brings in a transfer portal class that ranks No. 7 nationally, according to On3's team rankings, he's still unsure of the talent deficit between Arkansas and Georgia when SEC play kicks off inside Razorback Stadium Sept. 19. But he knows his team will be prepared for battle when that day comes.

"I can't promise you that when we line up and open versus Georgia in Fayetteville that our wide receivers may be faster than their wide receivers, that our corners will be faster than their wide receivers. I can't promise you that. I don't know the talent level gap right now.

"That's my job to get that fixed and accomplish those things. But I can tell you this, we'll be the most prepared team every single time we take the field."

You can watch the full Rotary Club of Little Rock's meeting below with Ryan Silverfield's speech beginning at the 25:37 mark.

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