There’s a new head hog in Fayetteville. Arkansas is hiring Memphis’ Ryan Silverfield as the program’s new head coach, On3’s Brett McMurphy first reported on Sunday morning. The hire comes after Arkansas whiffed on former Tennessee assistant Alex Golesh.
Local Arkansas media reported last week that Arkansas was hiring Golesh to replace Sam Pittman. But Golesh opted for The Plains of Auburn instead of the mountains of Northwest Arkansas, leaving the Razorbacks to pursue Silverfield.
Silverfield spent six years at Memphis, leading the Tigers to a 50-24 record during his tenure. Memphis twice won 10 games under Silverfield, going 10-3 in 2023 and 11-2 in 2024 before taking a step back to 8-4 this past season.
Arkansas did get an up close look at Silverfield’s Memphis program this season when the Tigers overcame a double-digit second half lead to defeat the Razorbacks 32-31 at the Liberty Bowl. The Razorbacks fired Pittman just a week later after a blowout loss against Notre Dame.
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Memphis was a group of five College Football Playoff contender for much of the year. The Tigers lost at a bad UAB team in mid October but was 8-1 with three games remaining in the season. Memphis fizzled down the stretch with losses against Tulane, East Carolina and Navy.
Silverfield’s only head coaching experience has come at Memphis. He was an assistant coach for four years at Memphis before taking over as head coach. Prior to his time at Memphis, Silverfield was an assistant at a number of different spots including in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions.
The early response to Arkansas’ hire has been very negative amongst Razorback fans. Arkansas fans has scheduled a peaceful protest on campus to express their displeasure about the hire.
Tennessee will get an up close and personal look at Silverfield’s Arkansas program next season when the Vols head to Fayetteville to face Arkansas in a SEC matchup. It’s the third straight year that Tennessee will play the Razorbacks. The Vols lost in Fayetteville in 2024 before defeating the Razorbacks earlier this season.
