Silverfield Has No Depth Chart for Razorbacks and He's Fine With That

Ryan Silverfield's first spring as Arkansas head coach leaves Arkansas with plenty of competition still to sort out.

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

Ryan Silverfield didn't come to Fayetteville promising easy answers.

He came to find them. Through the first three practices of the Arkansas spring session, that's exactly what's happening.

There's a whole lot of looking, a lot of evaluating and a whole lot of competition still to be determined. They are really looking as much for questions as answers

The Razorbacks return to the field Tuesday for Practice No. 4, and the schedule for the next four weeks runs the same way — Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays until the Red-White Game on April 25 at Razorback Stadium.

The first-year head coach isn't rushing to label anything. He's watching.

"There's nothing like seeing with our true eye," Silverfield said, "all of our coaches, our front office, having the ability to go out there and see what our guys are capable of."

That philosophy shapes everything about how the Hogs are running this spring. The live periods are being maximized. The depth chart? That's a work in progress.

What all that means that Silverfield is saying now is he's looking for the right questions to find the answers. It wouldn't be shocking to see players moved to new positions but there's not really been clues about who that will be.

Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback AJ Hill during spring practice drills. | Nilsen Roman-allHOGS Images

Quarterback Question Nobody Can Answer Yet

The biggest unknown in Fayetteville right now is who's going to start under center in the fall?

KJ Jackson and AJ Hill have been trading first-team reps throughout the early portion of camp, and neither has separated himself enough to claim the job.

In the final practice before spring break on March 19, Jackson returned to primary first-team work, but Silverfield was quick to pump the brakes on anyone reading too much into that.

"There is no depth chart right now," he said. "We're just kind of throwing it out there and seeing what happens."

What will unlock the picture, according to Silverfield, is the pads-on work and the scrimmages. The first of those is a closed workout on April 4, followed by another on April 11. He explained that determining who gets the first-team nod depends on seeing "who can push through, who can run to the ball appropriately" in live situations.

The skill players around both signal-callers have been rotating regularly.

Transfer tailback Sutton Smith and veteran Braylen Russell led early first-team work, then sophomore Cam Settles and transfer Jasper Parker moved up in Practice No. 3.

It's a carousel by design.

Trenches Are the Story So Far

While the backfield and quarterback room are still wide open, the most settled piece of the Arkansas puzzle might be the offensive line.

Left tackle Kavion Broussard, left guard Malachi Breland, center Caden Kitler, right guard Kobe Branham and right tackle Bryant Williams have worked together as a unit throughout the first three practices.

That kind of continuity up front matters is how offensive chemistry gets built before a single regular-season snap is played.

On the defensive side, end Quincy Rhodes alongside David Oke and Hunter Osborne have held the first-team spots. The "Jack" position has rotated between Charlie Collins, Jamonta Waller and Steven Soles, meaning that's another area where the competition is genuine and ongoing.

The secondary has started to take shape as well. Returner Miguel Mitchell and Colorado transfer Carter Stoutmire have worked the most at safety, while Maryland transfer La'khi Roland and Tulane transfer Jahiem Johnson have logged the heaviest cornerback reps.

Transfer additions are clearly a part of how this staff is building its roster.

Live Work Will Tell the Real Story

Silverfield's been candid about the value of physical football. Spring practices, by design, include limited "live" periods per NCAA rules so the coaching staff has to make those moments count.

"As we get into training camp we'll still do some live stuff," Silverfield said, "but obviously we want to be healthy and make sure we're as full speed as we can be going into the first game of the season."

It's a balance every coaching staff navigates — you want to see what your players can do under pressure, but you can't risk injuries before the season starts.

Silverfield's approach sounds like he's using the live periods strategically in spring, keep building toward training camp and stay as close to full speed as health allows.

"I still believe nothing substitutes live playing and the physical aspects of the football game," he said.

Coaching Staff Taking Shape in Public

Beyond the players, there's another layer to this spring — the new coaching staff is introducing itself to the Razorbacks fan base in real time.

Following tight ends coach Morgan Turner and running backs coach David Johnson's media availability during the first week, the introductions continue this week.

On Monday, co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach Deron Wilson and cornerbacks coach Eddie Hicks are scheduled to speak with media. Wilson, 35, is a New Orleans native who played cornerback at Southern Miss from 2010 to 2012.

He's actually in his second stint with Arkansas — he served as secondary coach for the Hogs from 2023 to 2024 and brings a background working under defensive coordinator Ron Roberts at Florida.

Hicks, who turned 39 last week, is a Clarksdale, Miss., native who earned All-Conference USA honors at Southern Miss in 2008 and 2009 as a defensive back. He's been coaching since 2012, worked as lead defensive analyst at LSU from 2023 to 2024 and most recently served as cornerbacks coach at Cincinnati.

On Wednesday, quarterbacks coach Mitch Stewart and receivers coach Larry Smith meet the press.

Stewart, 43, spent the last couple of years with Silverfield and offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey at Memphis and has head coaching experience — a 19-37 record over five seasons at Murray State from 2015 to 2019.

Smith, 37, a Prattville, Alabama, native who played quarterback at Vanderbilt from 2007 to 2011, was also on Silverfield's Memphis staff.

What We Still Don't Know

That's a lot of coaching staff context — and still very little clarity on what the 2025 Razorbacks will actually look like.

The questions keep stacking up. Will Jackson or Hill win the starting quarterback job? Who earns the starting tailback role among the rotating cast? Does the Jack position settle on one guy before fall camp?

None of it will be answered anytime soon. Silverfield made that clear. The first major look comes in the closed April 4 scrimmage, then again April 11, before the public finally gets its window at the Red-White Game on April 25.

"When you're going to get to see the majority of 'Hey, this guy may get more reps with that first group' is once the pads go on," Silverfield said, "and then after that first scrimmage."

For now, Arkansas is in the phase where the evaluations are honest and the depth chart doesn't exist.

The Razorbacks are just slinging it all out there — and waiting to see what happens.