Razorbacks Kept It Vanilla, Biggest Story Was What Didn’t Get Settled

Silverfield passes first offseason test, yet critical battle continues into summer.

Arkansas Razorbacks coach Ryan Silverfield. | Ted McClenning-allHOGS Images

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — It was a rather low-scoring spring game for first-year Arkansas coach Ryan Silverfield Saturday as his red team edged by the white team 14-13 inside Razorback Stadium.

Saturday's game capped the NCAA's allotted 15 practices that can take place during the spring, but SIlverfield was pushing for just a bit more afterwards.

"I wish we had another few weeks of it, but the guys will finish up with exams, then a couple
weeks off and come back for summer conditioning and strength training," Silverfield said as he opened his press conference. "But I'm pleased, you know, I think we took some great steps in a positive direction.

"[I've] almost been here five months now and got to see the growth through every practice, got to see a lot of positives and see certain guys step up. We still have a ton a ton of work to do. It was a good day to kind of conclude things."

Silverfield didn't want to get cute with his game structure either, he simply wanted to put the ball on a hashmark and see what his players brought to the table in front of a lively crowd.

"There was good competition, you got to see certain guys step up, certain guys that need to continue to make strides in the right direction But all in all, listen, it was a pretty competitive day," Silverfield said. "We weren't sitting there saying, "Okay, hey, I know a lot of teams will sit there, you get two points if you get past the 50 and another, we weren't doing that. We're just trying to put the ball down, play some football."

What he didn't want to do was put a lot of eye candy out there just to send everyone home happy. Sometimes it's important to keep curiosity of the Razorbacks' offensive ingenuity in the bag to avoid plays and certain details leaked on social media without intent.

"We've done a ton of situational stuff uh throughout the spring. And be honest, I was limiting on what we were seeing," Silverfield said. "I wanted to show our fans a good glimpse of who we are and what we are.

"But I didn't want to show our two-minute offense, or to sit there and show bunch of two-point plays which [fans] will have the chance to see during the season, I think it's best that it it stays within our program and not necessarily out there for public eyes."

Race for QB1 Far From Over

While vanilla was his intent, there were some key takeaways from the event, including a quarterback battle that featured both KJ Jackson and AJ Hill, who will continue their battle for the starting spot into the summer and possibly fall camp.

"Both KJ and AJ have continued to make steps in the right direction," Silverfied said. "I thought you got to see some positives and some negatives from both today. They're going to both continue to master this offense. It's one of those things as they understand where we need to go.

Just like any program transition playing in front of a crowd for the very first time, there are going to be hiccups.

Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback KJ Jackson. | Ted McClenning-allHOGS Images

Whether it was between coaches and players on offense, or guys lining up in the wrong spot with the quarterbacks having to step up to gain control, it's a good sign that onfield leadership is in place early on.

"The one thing today which was not good by either of them was the first time we did more huddling," Silverfield said. "Part of that was we didn't want to be sitting there signaling on the sidelines. Just kind of more [coach-to-player headset] and the communication of kind of a muddle huddle.

"I don't know if you've noticed that but then that sense of urgency to get guys lined up. Now they may have been out there with a a freshman wide receiver saying, 'Hey, no,
no, no. You're on that side. This is where you need to line up.'"

Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback AJ Hill. | Ted McClenning-allHOGS Images

One thing Silverfield seemed to be impressed by when it came to his two quarterbacks was their arm talent, which is a trait both were able to put on display Saturday.

"The growth process is there, they're both ultra talented. You guys got to see some throws today where you'd sit there and think, 'man, that's a big time throw. This guy can be a starter for the Razorbacks and a great quarterback in the SEC.' And then other times you said, 'Oh, that read need to happen quicker. They need to step up and do some of those things.'

"With what they're limited and obviously with different pieces around them today, but I've been pleased and I listen, I think either one of them gives us a great opportunity to be successful."

Organized Pass Rush

One major issue for Arkansas last season was a lack of pass defense that could be attributed to an inablity to rush the passer. The Razorbacks finished with 22 sacks (No. 93 nationally) and only forced 84 tackles for loss (No. 84 nationally) in 2025.

Defensive coordinator Ron Roberts has traditionally had an active unit up front in order to cause a little havoc on the backend. While Quincy Rhodes was a well-known commodity coming in, his defense needed quite a few more guys capable of coming off the edge to create backfield chaos.

Arkansas Razorbacks defensive lineman Quincy Rhodes and coach Ryan Silverfield. | Ted McClenning-allHOGS Images

One guy who has emerged recently is Kentucky transfer Steven Soles, who showed up time and again Saturday afternoon. He finished with two sacks on the day.

"Steven Soes continues to show that he he has the ability to rush the passer," Silverfield said. "He's got to continue to make sure he can play on base downs as well.

"We saw Quincy was able to get home some as well. Just some positives from that aspect. I think the pass rush showed up."

Cam Settles in Running Back Rotation

One running back coaches have praised endlessly this spring is sophomore running back Cam Settles. He had a big day in both the pass and running game, including a seven-yard touchdown in the second quarter.

Although he appeared in nine games in 2025, his impact was fairly limited as he rushed six times for 16 yards and caught another 16 yards through the air as a freshman.

"I've been really really pleased with Cam [Settles]," Silverfield said. "He's a young man that I'd recruited hard at [Memphis] and I just think he's a dynamic back. He's one of those guys you hate to sit there because I think all of our running backs have the ability to catch the football, but he's really good catching routes.

Arkansas Razorbacks running back Cam Settles. | Ted McClenning-allHOGS Images

"He runs great wheel routes. He's good on screen game. Then, he's learned to run north and south. When I remember Cam, I used to sit there and think of him as a lighter back. Now, he's 208 pounds. I mean, he's going to be 215 pounds before we know it. He runs hard, has great vision. He's one of those guys that we got to see take those gradual steps as he understood this offense."

"I've been quite proud of him. He's he's taken a lot of pride in pass protection as well. Cam is certainly one who has that arrow going up."

Arkansas may have kept things simple Saturday, but early returns show that progress is slow, but steady so far.

The Razorbacks' quarterback battle remains unsettled, but there were several positives that stood out Saturday. If Silverfield's team continues to show life and other players emerge as contributors, then the foundation for the program's future is well on its way to stabilization.