Ryan Silverfield arrives, hoping to turn around an Arkansas program mired near the bottom of the SEC

Arkansas

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — 2025 record: 2-10

Expectations

New coach Ryan Silverfield arrived at Arkansas in November to coach a team that has finished with either one or zero Southeastern Conference wins in five of the last nine seasons. Almost no one is expecting the Razorbacks to make a bowl much less contend in the rugged SEC.

What the Arkansas faithful would like to see is competitiveness. The team has produced just one winning season in conference play since 2011. Silverfield is their fifth coach since that season, Bobby Petrino’s last. Even Petrino has already returned and left again, exiting in the offseason after serving as offensive coordinator then interim coach for much of 2025 when Sam Pittman was fired Sept. 25.

Given the difficulty of the schedule, a .500 season in league play would be considered an excellent accomplishment. Beating the likes of Vanderbilt, Auburn and South Carolina should be the realistic focus, not trying to upset Georgia, Texas, Texas A&M and LSU.

Another winless year in the SEC might cost jobs higher up the chain than head coach, as athletic director Hunter Yurachek is a divisive figure to some of the fan base.

Strengths include defensive line, wide receiver

The Razorbacks were granted a gift when defensive end Quincy Rhodes Jr. decided to return for his senior year. The 6-foot-6, 275-pounder recorded eight sacks and 15 1/2 tackles-for-loss, the highest totals for an Arkansas player since 2016 and 2014, respectively.

And while he’s the lone returning player on the defensive line penned in as starter, Arkansas has experience with returnees David Oke and Charlie Collins rotating in, plus Kentucky transfer Steven Soles Jr. and Virginia transfer Hunter Osborne expected to bolster the unit.

Offensively, whoever wins the quarterback job has options at wideout: Chris Marshall is a former five-star recruit who transferred from Boise State. Jamari Hawkins knows Silverfield’s system having played with him at Memphis. And CJ Brown is the leading returning wide receiver. All three caught about 30 passes at their respective schools last year.

Weaknesses include lack of clarity and depth at many positions

It depends how the two-deep roster shakes out, but likely fewer than eight players in the group of 44 played for the Razorbacks last year. That isn’t totally unexpected given the coaching change combined with the Razorbacks’ lack of success, but it makes for a lot of open competition.

Quarterback KJ Jackson is likely to win the job after impressing in two late-season games last year, but as of mid-August, Silverfield hadn’t announced a starter.

The interior part of Arkansas’ offensive line appears set, but both tackle positions remain in flux. Every linebacker after No. 1 Bradley Shaw is up in the air. Miguel Mitchell and Caleb Wooden are the only returners in the secondary. .

New faces

WR Chris Marshall (transfer from Boise State), CB Joker Johnson (transfer from Tulane), LB Ja’Quavion Smith (transfer from Howard), OT Bryant Williams (transfer from Louisiana), QB AJ Hill (transfer from Memphis).

Key losses

QB Taylen Green (NFL), RB Mike Washington Jr. (NFL), LB Xavian Sorey Jr. (NFL), WR O’Mega Blake (exhausted eligibility), OG Fernando Carmona (NFL).

Biggest games for the Razorbacks

At Utah (Sept. 12), vs. Tennessee (Oct. 10), vs. Missouri (Oct. 31).

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