Silverfield Has Message for Fans Obsessing Over Hogs' Spring Depth Chart

Arkansas held spring practice No. 4 after an 11-day break

Arkansas Razorbacks coach Ryan Silverfield at spring practice. | Nilsen Roman-allHOGS Images

There are fans who are obsessed over depth charts from spring practices. They even call radio stations asking if reporters who sometimes appear on the stations have depth charts that can be forwarded to them via e-mail.

For this tiny, obsessive portion of the fan base, Razorbacks football coach Ryan Silverfield has a message.
Don't bother.

Even if they get their hands on one, it has no value according to the Hogs.

Arkansas came back from an 11-day spring break Tuesday to hold its fourth spring practice session.

If fans are truly looking for signals about who's locked into what role after only three practices involving an entirely new staff and a roster that is almost entirely new as well, then it's best to heed Silverfield's advice. He's already told you in so many words — slow your roll — and honestly it's a little creepy trying to define the relationships this early on.

Tuesday's workout had that recognizable first-day-back energy that anyone who's ever returned from a long break knows well.

The timing wasn't always sharp on passing drills. The precision drifted a bit.

A brisk wind knocked deep balls off their spirals and out of clean passing lanes. That stuff happens.

It's spring football after all, and it's only the fourth practice of the young cycle.

Still, there were real positives baked into the session for the Razorbacks. The energy was in a strong spot.

The physicality was high, particularly during competitive drills, and the pads were on for the full workout.

Considering the Hogs had 11 days off, that's a solid baseline to build from on the fields outside Walker Pavilion, where the team worked in 80-degree heat in front of a solid crowd of prospects, parents and visiting coaches.

Former players Marvin Caston, Peyton Hillis and Clarke Moore were among those watching, along with staff member Brey Cook.

Quarterback Picture Stays Status Quo

AJ Hill lined up primarily with the first unit again Tuesday and even wore a helmet camera during the session.

KJ Jackson ran with the second unit during the first 11 periods open to the media.

Neither of those assignments should be treated as gospel — it's still early April and the Arkansas staff is still gathering information.

When Hill did get his team reps, he was efficient with the football. During a "Team Tempo" segment in period three, he completed both of his pass attempts — a pair of short throws to tailback Sutton Smith.

The other three plays in his segment were on the ground, with Smith picking up carries up the middle and Hill pulling it down for a keeper himself.

Jackson had his moments too. His best throw of the media window was a strike over the middle to receiver Ismael Cisse, a nice ball delivered with defensive back Khmori House right on his hip.

The Razorbacks' second-team signal-caller also had a keeper in the mix.

Running back Braylen Russell ran twice off tackle on either side of the line and caught a check-down in the left flats.

That play came after defensive lineman Xadavien Sims had already tagged Jackson for what would've been a sack.

Clemson transfer Cade Trotter worked at quarterback with the third unit for the Hogs. He completed two of his three pass attempts, finding tight end Ty Lockwood — the Boston College transfer — and running back Markeylin Batton.

His first throw of the five-play segment went across the middle and came close to being intercepted by freshman defensive back Brandon Ford, who settled for a pass breakup instead.

Arkansas Razorbacks offensive lineman Davion Witherspoon during spring practice drills. | Nilsen Roman-allHOGS Images

Don't Read Too Much into Offensive Line Groups

Here's the part where Silverfield's earlier comments become relevant. The offensive line groupings have stayed consistent through all four practices for Arkansas.

That's not necessarily a message about the depth chart. It's a message about process.

The first unit featured left tackle Kavion Broussard, left guard Malachi Breland, center Caden Kitler, right guard Kobe Branham and right tackle Bryant Williams, with Jaden Platt at tight end.

That group's held together every single workout so far for the Razorbacks.

"Sometimes we're going to say, 'OK, on the offensive line, how does this guy work with this center? And how does this guy work at this position?'" Silverfield said back on March 16.

That quote tells you everything you need to know about why the Hogs' groups are staying together. It's not about ranking players one through five. It's about chemistry.

It's about getting linemen used to each other's footwork, timing and communication. You can't evaluate how a group works together if you keep shuffling the pieces.

More than any other position group, that one needs complete confidence that every single member is going to do what everybody else is expecting. Chaos erupts if anybody misses an assignment.

Kitler and Branham are the veteran anchors in that first group — both were full-year starters for Arkansas in 2025.

Around them, offensive line coaches Marcus Johnson and Jeff Myers spent the practice heavily focused on technique work.

The second unit had left tackle Josiah Clemons, left guard Davion Weatherspoon, center Brooks Edmonson, right guard Terence Roberson and right tackle Adam Hawkes.

The third group working with Trotter for the Razorbacks consisted of left tackle Aaron Smith, left guard Alex Johnson, center Carey Clayton, right guard Payton Parks-Smith and right tackle Jonas Nantze.

Stacking reps 🐗 pic.twitter.com/pMZQgBrXfY

— Arkansas Razorback Football (@RazorbackFB) March 28, 2026

Skill Groups Stayed Consistent Too

At receiver, CJ Brown and Chris Marshall worked on the outside with Jamari Hawkins in the slot for the Hogs' first unit.

Hawkins was often at the front of the line during individual periods. The second group featured Courtney Crutchfield and Donovan Faupel out wide and Cisse in the slot.

In the final period reporters could watch, Arkansas and their defensive counterparts finally went head-to-head in what coaches called the "pig pen perimeter drill."

Some of the notable match-ups included star defensive end Quincy Rhodes going against Williams, defensive tackle Hunter Osbourne lining up against both Kitler and Broussard and defensive tackle Carlon Jones testing Weatherspoon.

It was the only time the two units went directly against each other during position group drills for the Razorbacks.

diamonds 💎 pic.twitter.com/vf3BJJ3SGd

— Arkansas Razorback Football (@RazorbackFB) April 1, 2026

What's Next for Hogs?

The schedule calls for media interviews Wednesday with receivers coach Larry Smith and quarterbacks coach Mitch Stewart.

Smith made the move to Fayetteville with the Silverfield staff from Memphis. Stewart served as Memphis' quarterbacks coach in 2025 after spending the previous year there as a senior offensive analyst.

There's still plenty of spring practice left ahead for Arkansas. Tuesday's session confirmed the Razorbacks are back from break and working hard.

It just didn't confirm much else — and that's perfectly fine at this stage of the process. The Hogs have time to sort things out.

Silverfield's already made it clear he's not in a hurry to tip his hand on any of it.