What North Alabama HC Brent Dearmon Thinks Of Ryan Silverfield, Razorbacks

FAYETTEVILLE — It may be Week 1, but North Alabama already has a number in the win column ahead of its trip to Fayetteville on Saturday.

The Lions beat Samford 22-10 on Aug. 29 ahead of a huge opportunity to play against an SEC team in what should be a lively environment for the first game of the Ryan Silverfield era.

For fourth-year head coach Brent Dearmon, a nationally televised contest against a Power Four school is a huge opportunity.

"I know they're going to be a good football team," Dearmon said of the Razorbacks on Tuesday. "They're going to be sound in what they do. Coach Silverfield has always done a great job of preparing his team. He's a motivator, but not is he a motivator, he's very disciplined. Very sound and stresses the execution of things."

Silverfield beat Dearmon and UNA at Memphis in 2024, as the Tigers blanked the Lions 40-0 at the Liberty Bowl.

"Their coordinators, Ron Roberts is one of the best defensive coordinators in the country," Dearmon said. "He's got ties with great defenses in the SEC at Florida and Auburn. I know they're going to confuse us up front. They're going to try to confuse our quarterback with different looks.

"Offensively, Coach Cramsey does a good job of running the ball. They're going to try to establish the run. They've got play-actions off of it."

Dearmon, a native of Mobile, Ala., has ties to Arkansas QB KJ Jackson, a Montgomery, Ala., native.

"I knew his high school coach really well," Dearmon said. [I knew his] high school offensive coordinator really well. They've been raving about him for years. I've gotten to watch a lot of high school tape on him. I know he's an explosive player. I know he's got an electric arm. I know he's been coached very well.

"In pash rush lanes, we got to bottle him up. He's different than a normal quarterback. You can't just rush past him and recover. You have to keep him in that pocket and try to force him to stay in there, because he's electric when he gets out of that pocket. He can hurt you in many ways."

North Alabama head coach Brent Dearmon works the umpire against Mercer during the FCS Kickoff held at Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala., on Saturday August 26, 2023. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Dearmon's record at North Alabama is a paltry 8-27. Like Arkansas, UNA is coming off of a 2-10 2025 campaign, and Dearmon is yet to win more than three games in a season at North Alabama.

Should the Razorbacks be caught sleepwalking on Saturday, he could have a chance to snag what would easily be the biggest win of his coaching career.

Kickoff between Arkansas and North Alabama is set for 3:15 on Saturday, with coverage on SEC Network and the Razorback Sports Network.

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