Silverfield's Plan To Restore Pride In Razorbacks Starts With Former Players

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — New Arkansas football coach Ryan Silverfield get it.

He was the first coach in 19 years to reach out to former coach Houston Nutt so he could get a better understanding of what being a Razorback is about. He's knocked on every door of each donor looking for them to buy into his culture and re-establish the strong tradition the football program was built on, winning.

Just take a look at Arkansas' social media pages, fans will see the likes of Darren McFadden, Felix Jones, Peyton Hillis, Jarius Wright, Scott Reed, Kevin Scanlon, Ken Hatfield, the Lindsey family and so many others.

A lot of credit has to go to Brey Cook, the Razorbacks' Manager of Alumni and High School Relations, who has helped bridge the gap between alumni and high school coaches.

Side quest 🤝 Main quest

Been Callin’ Hawgs. 🐗

Streaming on YT this fall @COACHESPOD pic.twitter.com/AODwi1o2Nt
— Brey Cook (@CoachBreyCook) September 2, 2026

"We had Darren McFadden come and talk to the team. You guys saw we had Coach [Houston Nutt] as a special guest out of practice," Silverfield said last week. "The first time he had come back to campus since he had left, and so many other great visitors. To us, that's important as we continue to progress.

"One of the reasons I first took this job, I always said it's the rich history and tradition of this program. ... We had [Senior Associate AD/Communications] Kyle [Parkinson] talk to our team about the history of the program, what it meant.

"Some of the old coaches, former players, trophies, faces on the wall, coach [Frank] Broyles, and what he meant to this program, and I think that's so important that we continue to keep that as part of our DNA and part of our fabric."

Silverfield understands that the Razorbacks are the flagship brand in the state and when this program is moderately good, support is off the charts. That will even grow stronger as former players become confident that they can play a role in the overall success.

Former Arkansas wide receiver Joe Adams, known for his exceptional special teams ability as a returner, will be back in Fayetteville Friday to speak at the new "Hog March to Victory" that Silverfield implemented this offseason.

“We're going to invite former players to come and possibly speak to our team as we walk across the field,” Silverfield said. “The guys painting the field don't like me as much, because they’ve got to get it done a day early. But we're going to walk across the field together, anybody that played. I won't be able to walk with the team because I didn't play here.”

“Don't worry, I'll show his punt return to the team,” Silverfield said of Adams punt return against Tennessee in 2011. "I texted all the ones who are on recent NFL rosters, just wishing them the best. I think everybody appreciates it, but I want them to understand that we are here for them. We're going to honor them every single day.”

Arkansas Razorbacks coach Houston Nutt | Arkansas Football, X

Not only is Silverfield invinting former players and coaches to be intertwined with the program, but he is also encouraging corporations in and around the state, including Walmart to be more involved from a financial standpoint.

He wants to build a winner and seems to have a grasp of what it's going to take to advance the Arkansas football program into the current age of college athletics.

"It's showing people what it needs to look like," Silverfield said at SEC Media Days. "But I have great faith we can get this done, and it's my job to tap into those resources. Listen, if we get Wal-Mart involved, it's game over."

Any coach can say the right things during the offseason, but it all comes down to wins. If Silverfield can get that done it might really be over for the rest of the country.

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