Ryan Silverfield Reveals the Three Coaches Who Shaped His Journey to Arkansas

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Every football coach remembers the person who first believed in them.

Long before Ryan Silverfield became Arkansas' head coach, he was an 18-year-old high school senior simply hoping someone would give him a chance to coach.

He received his start in coaching earlier than most former athletes following a neck injury in high school that ended his dream of playing college football.

That unfortunate event didn't diminish his passion for football, but fueled his desire to make an impact in another way: coaching.

Arkansas Razorbacks coach Ryan Silverfield looks over his players during warmups before the spring game at Razorback Stadium. | Brett Rojo-Imagn Images

Editor's Note: This is the third installment in a series profiling first-year Arkansas coach Ryan Silverfield, his coaching journey and the values he hopes will define the next era of Razorbacks football.

• Part One: Why Ryan Silverfield Believes Arkansas Is 'The Best Job in the Country'

• Part Two: Inside Ryan Silverfield's 'ALL IN' Philosophy At Arkansas

While there are plenty of other names Silverfield could have mentioned who had an impact on his coaching career, he decided to go with the three who were most influential to him. The first shouldn't be a surprise at all, and he is the man who gave him a shot in the first place.

Corky Rogers, The Bolles School

The late Rogers held the title as winningest coach in Florida High School football history following his retirement in 2016 with a record of 465-84-1. He held the title for seven more seasons until Lakeland's Bill Castle passed him in 2023 with 473 career victories.

A former quarterback for Georgia Tech in the 1960s, Rogers was drafted by the Baltimore Colts, but ended up not playing due a college deferral that required him to serve a year in the Army Reserves following his career with the Yellowjackets.

He spent the final 28 years of his career at The Bolles School, where he won 10 state championships and was inducted into the Florida Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2002.

"One, it starts with Corky Rogers, who was the all-time winningest coach in the state of Florida in high school history," Silverfield tells Razorbacks on SI. "He's passed away, but you know, he's the one that, first off, gave me my first opportunity at the age of 18 to start coaching spring of my senior of high school.

"He was just a man that understood it and commanded the presence. Obviously a fantastic coach, a winner, but he really taught me how to work, you know, I mean, we certainly weren't the biggest, fastest, strongest, but you know, there were certain times in my [high school] career where we were ranked as the No. 1 team in the country, multiple state championships.

"Part of that was just because we all learned to work, and there was a unique ride that you learn at the age of 14 from your coach. You have so much respect for that man, and I give him, besides my father, I mean who I am today because of him, and what he taught me, and how you go about your business."

The work ethic Rogers instilled eventually opened another door just a few months later that accelerated his coaching career.

Former Hampden-Sydney coach Marty Favret | Hampden-Sydney Footbal

Marty Favret, Hampden-Sydney College

After graduating from The Bolles School in 1999, Silverfield enrolled at Hampden-Sydney which was a short nine hour drive up Interstate 95 from his hometown. While it took some time to convince legendary Tigers coach Marty Favret to let him serve as an offensive assistant as a college freshman, he was quickly elevated each offseason.

Silverfield was promoted as defensive line coach as a sophomore before being moved to tight ends coach as a senior. If it hasn't been obvious already, he was "ALL IN" for the grind as a young adult to make an impact on student-athletes.

While there aren't many coaches out there willing to take a chance on a 20-year-old, still wet behind the ears, to serve in some capacity on staff, it was Favret who tutored him on the schematics and ins-and-outs of the college game.

"And you know, I learned a lot from a guy, Marty Favret," Silvefield said. "I've gotta give credit where credit is due. He hired me at the age of 20, took a chance on me at a Division III school early in my career.

"I got to see, even though it was a small college football program, [Favret] was of the best offensive minds, and learned a ton from him schematically. It was a place I truly just grew as a young man."

While Favret prepared Silverfield schematically, it was his baptism into the NFL that introduced him to leadership on an entirely different scale.

Former Minnesota Vikings coach Leslie Frazier during the second quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at Mall of America Field at H.H.H. Metrodome. The Vikings defeated the Eagles 48-30. | Brace Hemmelgarn-Imagn Images

Leslie Frazier, Minnesota Vikings

After leaving Hampden-Sydney, Silverfield became a head coach at Memorial High School at the age of 24 in 2004, made it back to the college game at Jacksonville University's now defunct football program as quarterbacks coach in 2005, and took on a graduate assistant role at Central Florida from 2006-2007.

But it was at the age of 28 when he got his start in Minneapolis as a quality control assistant with the Vikings and nearly a 22-hour car ride away from home. It was serving under then defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier where he was suddenly immersed in an NFL organization built around future Hall of Fame talent and veteran leadership.

He was working with NFL stars such as Jared Allen, Kevin Williams, Adrian Peterson, Brett Favre and many others during what was of the franchise's most successful stretches. Those seasons culminated in a trip to the NFC Championship Game following the 2009 campaign, exposing Silverfield to the daily standard required to compete for championships.

It was in Minnesota where his biggest lessons in coaching came from watching Frazier interact with players, assistant coaches and front office personnel. With already a decade of coaching experience under his belt, his time in the NFC North was more about learning to lead through adversity, consistency, command, honesty, and respect that Frazier showed each day.

"Ultimately, a man named Leslie Frazier, whether he was the defensive coordinator or as the head coach of the Vikings, him and I were very close," Silverfield said. "He's one of those guys that is just I believe in him so much as a man, a leader of men, the way he goes about his business, the way he responded to things."

Even after Frazier was promoted as the Vikings' head coach in 2010 and later on as a member of Buffalo's staff, the relationship between them never faded.

The two have remained close for nearly two decades, often talking football, leadership and life. Silverfield credits those lessons learned from Frazier as a constant reminder that success isn't measured solely by wins and losses, but the impact a coach leaves on people inside a program.

"People always wondered why Leslie Frazier and I were such close friends and why we got along so well. I think part of it is we're just so truthful with each other and had so much respect, but obviously, I looked up to him, I admire him. He's almost like a father figure to me, a big brother."

"Even when he retired from the Buffalo Bills and was doing some NFL Network, he came and stayed with me for a week at my house in Memphis in retirement, just being around him, we still talk. He's a Tony Dungy disciple, so you can imagine the type of man that he was to be around."

Frazier's influence traces directly back to Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy, whose player-first leadership philosophy helped shape championship teams in both Tampa Bay and Indianapolis. It's a model Silverfield has embraced throughout his career, emphasizing intentional relationship building, accountability and servant leadership just as much as game planning throughout the week.

Those core leadership values learned from all three men are evident in the foundation Silverfield has worked to establish during his first seven months at Arkansas. His "ALL IN" philosophy is a reflection of three decades spent learning from the coaches who shaped him not only as a football coach, but as a leader of men.

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