Razorbacks' new coach looks to recharge program with resiliency

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — New Arkansas coach Ryan Silverfield is in the early stages of building his program, but with nearly half his on-field staff in place, it's clear what direction he wants to go.

Over the past two seasons, the Razorbacks have struggled in one major area of the game and that's discipline.

Whether that be fumbles, penalties, making the wrong reads on either side of the ball and even procedural issues toward the end of the season.

Silverfield even mentioned that being one reason the Razorbacks faltered in the second half of games last season during his introductory press conference. While those issues have reoccurred for much of the past six seasons, there's new players and coaches each season which makes it seem to be a culture issue.

"Just finding ways [to win]," Silverfield said. "And listen, at Memphis this past year, we found ways to finish some games. We found some ways not to and that's the nature of college football."

During former head coach Sam Pittman's tenure, Arkansas lacked the fortitude to pull out games in the fourth quarter. In 30 of those since 2020, the Razorbacks won just seven.

Former Memphis coach Ryan Silverfield walks to the sidelines after a timeout during the game between Memphis and Tulane at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, Tenn., on November 7, 2025. | Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"The margin for error continues to shrink," Silverfield said. "And just a brief synopsis of what I've saw from Arkansas, we have to find ways to be more disciplined, right? Whether that's penalties, all those things, I think just the leadership, right? And a lot of the players have come to my office and say, 'Coach, I think we want to step up the leadership,' OK well, good."

That quick synopsis is key. Evaluating this season alone showed a large number of penalties, whether those came pre-snap, personal fouls out of frustration and fumbles driving to the goal line in the fourth quarter.

Arkansas desperately wants a culture reset to prevent another stretch of only 14 SEC wins over the past seven years, which means doing the small things required in practice and during games. Under interim coach Bobby Petrino, the Hogs set a school record of 18 penalties in a 38-35 loss to Mississippi State and almost broke the record a few weeks later with 16 in a season-ending loss to Missouri.

The Razorbacks had a turnover margin of -11 this fall, which ranked No. 125 nationally and its 20 total turnovers ranked No. 112. Comparatively, Memphis ranked in the Top 10 in both categories in margin and turnovers lost.

"[Leadership]has to start right now," Silverfield said. "We can't wait till we get back on Jan. 14. That has to start right now. Guys buying into the way we're going to do things. The way you condition in the offseason, the way you condition during the season, what does that look like."

Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback KJ Jefferson tries to jump the Texas A&M Aggies but loses a fumble that was returned to the other side of AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. | Ted McClenning-Hogs on SI Images

One huge key moving forward is Arkansas' resiliency when things go wrong. Instead of allowing a close game unravel in seconds, the Razorbacks must be willing to remain within a knockout punch and not let the mantra that "what can go wrong will go wrong" control their mindset.

Just as football can be physically straining, having the appropriate mindset can do wonders as Silverfield attempts to flip things immediately.

"[We must have] a great understanding of situational football," Silverfield said. "Ultimately, I don't get much into statistics, but you want to talk about ball security and turnover margin. I think that's been an issue.

"At Memphis, we were over the last 10 years, we're one of the best teams in the country at turnover margin, significantly more so the last five years. That's important.

“That's how you win those games. Finally, getting guys to believe guys are going to be resilient, guys are going to finish and fight every single play. And if you do that, you give yourself a chance."

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