Razorbacks' 2026 slate may have eased up for Week 2 with recent news

While there's a long way to go before Arkansas meets Utah, game might be easier than anticipated

Arkansas Razorbacks coach Ryan Silverfield visiting with fans at basketball game against Fresno State at Simmons Bank Arena in North Little Rock, Ark. | Ted McClenning-allHOGS Images

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — New Arkansas Razorbacks football coach Ryan Silverfield's first Power Conference game with the Hogs eased up a bit next season with the retirement of Utah coaching legend Kyle Whittingham.

Whittingham, the all-time winningest coach in Utes history, oversaw the program's promotion to the PAC 12, then Big 12 and numerous New Year's Bowl games throughout his tenure. His retirement had been rumored for numerous years, and increased once defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley was given the label "head coach in waiting" last summer.

𝗞𝘆𝗹𝗲 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗵𝗮𝗺 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗮𝘀 𝗨𝘁𝗮𝗵 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵.

𝘼𝙡𝙡-𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙨𝙩 head coach in Utah Football history will coach his last game for the Utes in the Las Vegas Bowl on Dec. 31. #GoUtes pic.twitter.com/ii706lcGXW

— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) December 12, 2025

Scalley was a finalist for the Broyles Award in 2019, which is given each year to the top assistant coach in college football. That season, Utah boasted one of the nation's top run defenses, finishing No. 3 nationally at 81.8 yards per game.

"The time is right to step down from my position as the head coach at the University of Utah," Whittingham said in a statement. "It's been an honor and a privilege to lead the program for the past 21 years, and I'm very grateful for the relationships forged with all the players and assistant coaches that have worked so hard and proudly worn the drum and feather during our time here.

Utah Utes coach Kyle Whittingham celebrates with fans after defeating the West Virginia Mountaineers at Milan Puskar Stadium. | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

"The opportunity to guide so many talented young men as they pursued their goals -- both on and off the field -- has truly been a blessing. Thank you to the university, the Salt Lake community, all of Ute Nation and most of all my wife and family for your unwavering support that has helped make Utah Football what it is today."

Whittingham at Utah

• 177-88 record
• 11 bowl wins
• Eight 10+ win seasons
• 12 9+ win seasons
• Three conference championships: Mountain West (2008), PAC-12 (2021 & 2022)
• All-time winningest coach in Utes program history

The Razorbacks are set to travel to Utah in Week 2 in what will be the school's first regular season non-conference game against a Big 12 program since 2023. BYU came into Razorback Stadium and upended Arkansas by erasing a 10-point deficit, scoring 17 unanswered points in the second half.

Although the two programs have yet to meet, Arkansas has benefitted in recent years on the recruiting trail by landing former Utah running back Ja'Quinden Jackson out of the transfer portal in 2024.

Lightning struck twice when former offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino and running backs coach Kolby Smith were able to flip senior transfer tailback Mike Washington away from the Utes for the 2025 season.

Following UCF's decision to take quarterback Rocco Mariott, it didn't take long for Greenwood record setting star Kane Archer to find a new home. He ultimately decided to sign with Utah after completing 75% of his passes for 10,518 yards, 133 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in four varsity seasons.

Archer amassed 2,897 yards and 58 career touchdowns on the ground. He became the only quarterback in Arkansas high school history to pass for 10,000 yards and rush for 2,500 yards.

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

Coaching transitions can certainly level the playing field a bit and Arkansas desperately needs things to go well early on under Silverfield to build momentum with a new financial commitment in place.

While fans might look at the 2026 schedule and predict another 2-10 record, it's wise to wait a bit for the transfer portal to open up to see what type of roster Arkansas can build. The Razorbacks' new staff barely had time to piece together a high school signing class, which means a heavy emphasis will be placed on player retention and portal additions.

"This would be probably the least amount of high school guys we ever signed," Silverfield said. "I didn't want to sign guys that I didn't actually have an understanding of who they were.

"Obviously there was a handful of guys who were committed already, and we honor those, but then most of them, I at least had an opportunity to get to know. Anybody I'm going to bring in our locker room, I'm bringing a part of our family. They're going to come over to the house. They're going to be joining the vets. I think that's as important. We're going to do a great job recruiting.