SEC Network Analyst Confident Silverfield's Background Fits Well at Arkansas

TAMPA — Arkansas fans weren't thrilled over the hiring of Ryan Silverfield from Memphis at the time.

That was mostly due to the Razorbacks' inablility to secure USF's Alex Golesh following his handshake agreement with the program ahead of the final weekend of the regular season.

Arkansas Razorbacks coach Ryan Silverfield during spring practices. | Nilsen Roman-allHOGS Images

Fast forward seven months and a portion of the Hogs' fanbase still have some form of buyers remorse without there being a test drive first.

However, plenty of others are willing to give Silverfield a chance to see if he can reverse a 15-year nosedive and put to rest excuses that have built up during that span that Arkansas has limitations.

SEC Media Days will always bring some kind of opinion from reporters, radio hosts or TV analysts looking for that viral clip. Whether it was national title or bust for Lane Kiffin in Year One at LSU, Pete Golding tanking Ole Miss after a College Football Playoff semifinal run, or waiting on Kalen Deboer to pull through and re-establish Alabama as a title contender, people want to be heard.

That's dimmed the spotlight for some of the new coaches around the league, including Silverfield, who SEC Network analyst Cole Cubelic has quite an amount of respect for on and off the field.

"I think he can be a good head coach at Arkansas, I think he can be a good head coach anywhere," SEC Network analyst Cole Cubelic told the Morning Sports Beat with Eric Gee Wednesday. "I love his offensive scheme, his background.

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

"His emphasis is going to be at the line of scrimmage, which in this league you need to have a certain standard on the offensive line and defensive line and knows what it's going to take. You're not going to be able to win, this is kind of a sport and a league which I believe people have shifted their belief and mindset that skill wins."

An area Arkansas has struggled in recent seasons is establishing an identity along the line of scrimmage. Some years, the Razorbacks had the depth along the offensive line, but abandoned ship on nearly every position on the defensive side.

Traditionally, the SEC has prided itself as a line of scrimmage league, but as each side of the football evolves over time so has the type of athlete a coaching staff will target.

Cubelic, a former offensive lineman himself at Auburn from 1997-2000, knows things might change but football idealogies last forever. That's a major reason why he believes Silverfield can get it done with the Razorbacks.

"But then where people are missing the boat is the trenches gets you beat, and Ryan Silverfield isn't going to let that happen," Cubelic said. "That emphasis will be there. He's a good recruiter, I think geographically, having spent time at Memphis and the relationships he has there will help him recruit and get guys from a different state to Arkansas, which has to happen if you're going to win there."

Reaching into talent rich areas where Silverfield has such deep ties such as Tennessee, Florida, Georgia and surrounding states has shown up in the 2027 recruitng cycle. What he must do is win. It's easy to get players to buy into a culture change, but it's another to pull off a complete flip in such a short amount of time.

If the buy in that Silverfield preached in the spring translates to the fall, Cubelic believes Arkansas fans will see it immediately by the product he puts on the field.

"He's a guy that players love playing for," Cubelic continued. "You go watch his teams wherever he's been. They play hard. It's one of the trademarks that I love from a coach, whether you're down 30, won three games or 10 games. Do your players play hard consistently? And his [team] brings that almost everytime.

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