Silverfield Not Shying Away From Arkansas' Past While Building Its Future

Silverfield Has Plenty of Work Ahead of Him But Whole State, Including Jerry Jones, Behind Him

Jan 31, 2026; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks head coach coach Ryan Silverfield calls the hogs during a timeout in the first half against the Kentucky Wildcats at Bud Walton Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — It's no secret that Arkansas football is far from a powerhouse at the moment, and first-year head coach Ryan Silverfield isn't trying to sell it as one.

Silverfield inherited a program coming off of its third 2-10 season in eight years in December. The task that lies ahead of him is a tall one, and one every head football coach at UA since Bobby Petrino has failed to accomplish: sustaining success.

"I've got a lot of respect for everybody that came before me," Silverfield said Tuesday on the On3 YouTube channel. "But ultimately, yeah, there were some deficiencies. The first two months on the job, you put your head down and you're just working your ass off trying to establish a roster, put together a staff, make sure all the pieces are in place.

"Then you say, 'Okay, let's peel back the onion.' I hate to harp on this stat because it's certainly not selling recruiting, but one Power Four win at home in three years. That can't just be [lacking] in certain areas, right? What are we doing academically? What are doing [for] strength training? What are we doing [with] nutrition? How can we coach better? I'm turning every stone."

All of Silverfield's work comes from the 45-year-old knowing how important it is to both the University of Arkansas and the state as a whole for the Razorbacks to be successful on the gridiron.

One prominent UA alum made that clear to the new Head Hog in a recent meeting.

"Everybody is all hands on deck," Silverfield said. "Everybody understands the importance of having success. Winning football games week in and week out is huge to what we want to do as a university for this region. Certainly from the administration to the donors, everyone understands that.

What Jerry Jones Told Ryan Silverfield

Everyone including Jerry Jones, the owner of the Dallas Cowboys and a member of Arkansas' 1964 national championship team.

"He had one helmet in his office," Silverfield said, recounting a meeting with Jones. "And it was an Arkansas Razorback silver helmet that they made for him when they played in AT&T Stadium. He's like, 'Listen, the Razorbacks mean everything to me. I love the Dallas Cowboys,' but man, I love and dream about the Razorbacks having success in football. That was surreal to hear that."

Jones, is, of course, not alone as one who wants to see Arkansas return to its winning ways.

Whether or not Silverfield is the man for the job remains to be seen, but he's who Arkansas has and appears committed to turning things around in Fayetteville.