Arkansas Razorbacks May Have Made Mistake Hiring Ryan Silverfield

The Arkansas Razorbacks hired Ryan Silverfield to try to turn the program around.

Silverfield was the head coach of the Memphis Tigers, as he went 50-25 at Memphis. Yet, when Arkansas hired him, some fans weren’t thrilled, as he wasn’t able to lead the Tigers to a playoff spot as a Group of 5 team, despite always being one of the top-ranked G5 teams.

Silverfield also wasn’t a massive name, and with Arkansas struggling for years, fans were hoping for a splashy name to try and turn the program around right away.

Yet, the Razorbacks landed on Silverfield, and through three games, the fanbase is already turning on him.

Before Arkansas hosted the Georgia Bulldogs, fans were boycotting the football team; if they showed up to the stadium, fans were wearing paper bags over their heads. However, many fans opted not to show up as the stadium looked empty on TV.

There is NOBODY here 10 mins prior to kickoff. These fans weren’t bluffing. pic.twitter.com/L4afqUupY5

— Brandon Adams (@DawgNationDaily) September 19, 2026

The Razorbacks fanbase has had enough of the losing, and the Silverfield hiring hasn’t panned out through three weeks.

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Silverfield hasn’t coached well, as he’s been splitting the quarterback reps, which hasn’t worked. In his first year at Arkansas in the SEC, the expectation was Arkansas would be more competitive than they were under Sim Pittman, but that isn’t the case.

The Razorbacks have the money to spend in the portal, but Arkansas hasn’t been able to get top-end players. In Silverfield’s first year, he struggled to bring in elite players, so it could be another long season for the Razorbacks.

Arkansas still has to play Texas A&M, Tennessee, Missouri, South Carolina, Texas, and LSU, so it could be tough for the Razorbacks to win games, and it could very well be one-and-done for Silverfield as the fanbase is already turning on him.

Ryan Silverfield, Arkansas Facing Must-Win Game

Arkansas hired Silverfield to turn the program around, as the hope was that the team could try to reach a bowl game this year.

However, the Razorbacks are set to host Tulsa on Saturday, and if Arkansas loses, they could very well lose out and go 1-11. So, the pressure is on Silverfield, but he isn’t buying into that.

“There’s always external pressure,” Silverfield said on Monday. “I don’t care who you’re playing. The next game’s always going to be the most important and nobody puts more pressure on themselves than we do internally and I do as a head coach.

“I wouldn’t even call it pressure. It’s just the opportunity to go out there and compete at the highest level. I work no differently. I’m working 110 hours a week to prepare, whether it’s for North Alabama, for Georgia, for Tulsa. I’m still going to put in the same hours right now. For us, every week is the most important, it’s a must-win for us every week. It’ll be no different than for whoever our opponent is the following week. But that’s how we approach it and how we’ll continue to do so.”

If Arkansas loses out and goes 1-11, it would be hard to see the fans wanting Silverfield back. They didn’t like the hiring from the get-go, and with fans boycotting them already, Arkansas could be forced to make a difficult decision.

Related: Kentucky Stuns Texas A&M, Aggies’ Playoff Hopes Take Real Hit

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This story was originally published by Lindys Sports on Sep 22, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Lindys Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.