Ryan Silverfield Wants Arkansas to 'Prove Ourselves Right' in 2026

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — New Arkansas coach Ryan Silverfield will shoot anyone straight when he accepted the head coaching job.

The Razorbacks are coming off a disastrous 2025 2-10 campaign in which six games were decided by one possession.

Despite the record, the Razorbacks pushed Memphis, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, LSU, Mississippi State and Tennessee into the final moments of the fourth quarter before coming up short.

Former Memphis coach Ryan Silverfield is pat on the shoulder and back by fans that stormed the field after Memphis defeated Arkansas 32-31 at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, Tenn., on September 20, 2025. | Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Arkansas's struggles to close out games weren't difficult to identify either. The Razorbacks consistently came up short in one-score games because they couldn't generate enough defensive stops while its offense repeatedly erased scoring opportunities late in games due to turnovers.

Those are two areas Silverfield's teams thrived over the past six years, and a major detail he wants implemented inside his Arkansas program. It's been a long, grueling process of rebuilding the Razorbacks' culture problem, but his players have been open to absorbing all the details to improve this offseason.

"Listen, I'm very excited," Silverfield said. "You kind of break it down into the segments. Obviously, the first couple months getting here and getting everybody on the same page, and kind of teaching, 'Hey, this is the way we do things, and what we're all about, and getting the culture established.' That's something you do every day."

The initial parts of the transition are more of an orientation and getting to know what makes each person in the program tick. Luckily for Silverfield, there was only one transfer portal window meaning who he brought in would be exactly who he will be using this fall.

Becoming acquainted, being in the film room, learning the ins and outs of a new coaching staff going into spring ball with the understanding a player can't leave creates more buy-in.

Arazorbacks coach Ryan Silverfield at first spring practice Thursday. | Arkansas Communications

Those are the areas his Memphis teams consistently handled well across his six seasons as coach. Holding players accountable for everything is the start of changing habits, especially for the players returning from the previous regime.

The Razorbacks' spring practice may not have gone perfectly, but it represented the first major step toward establishing Silverfield's program expectations.

"Then, ultimately, from winter workouts to spring football, I was quite pleased, I think, and this is not coaching. I think we got better every single day in spring practice, guys learning how we practice, how we go about things, and then learning the X's, and O's that's right, the scheme part of it, we can't forget, I mean, that was a huge part, obviously, spring football, getting them acclimated to the language that we use on offense, defense, and special teams."

Learning a new playbook is such a small percentage of what takes place during an offseason. It's laying down the expectation of what it's going to take to be a Razorback.

Most player-coach relationships are built on a mutual respect of knowing what's required, holding each other accountable and coming together for the biggest cause which is winning games.

Talent aside, winning doesn't happen unless a team is totally bought in. It's not offense vs. defense, but a collective effort to get things turned around.

Arkansas coach Ryan Silverfield looks over his football team during spring practice. | Razorback Communications

With SEC Media Days coming in less than a month, that means fall camp will arrive shortly after, and Silverfield is pleased with where his team is going into the final stretch of the offseason.

"Now, leading into summer workouts, they're going to finish up this week, take a week off, and then get back at it for one more month before training camp," Silverfield said. "I've been pleased. I think the guys are working their tails off. I've seen their love for football, it's there, it's evident."

The first-year Arkansas coach is fully aware of program perception from fan-to-national levels, but he doesn't believe the 2026 season will be a wash either. Those returning know how close they were to winning last season, newcomers are hungry and Silverfield's coaching staff is ready to put a winner on the field.

It's all about proving everyone inside the program right.

"[Our players] are hungry," Silverfield said. "Those guys who came back from last year, the newcomers, the staff, everybody's hungry. We want kind of avoid all the outside noise, there's not a prove everybody else wrong, let's just go prove ourselves right, like what we're capable of doing.

Whether that change of mindset translates into more wins won't be known until the season begins, especially when the Razorbacks travel to Salt Lake City for a game against the Utah Utes in Week Two.

After months spent rebuilding Arkansas from the inside out, Silverfield believes the program is finally reaching the point where its habits match the standard he envisioned when he first arrived in Fayetteville.

"That excitement, you can see it resonate throughout our building every single day," Silverfield continued. "They have the ability to continue pushing and truly be 1% better every day."

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
• Part Three: Silverfield Shares Three Coaches Who Shaped His Journey to Arkansas

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