FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Ryan Silverfield had a second stop to make Thursday after his first press conference since being hired as Arkansas football coach.
He had to face the people he needs to win over, the ones the Razorbacks need to increase their spending so they can compete with the SEC’s power programs.
Silverfield signed a five-year, $33.5 million deal to take over in Arkansas earlier in the week. He had coached Memphis since the 2020 season, plus a single game with the Tigers as interim head coach in 2019. Memphis qualified for a bowl in every season with Silverfield at the helm and peaked in 2024 with an 11-2 record. The Tigers hold an 8-4 record ahead of a likely bowl game.
Those kinds of results at Arkansas would be a boon. The Razorbacks’ season concluded Saturday with a loss to Missouri. That ended a 2-10 season with an 0-8 record in the Southeastern Conference, the third season in the last seven Arkansas finished with those marks.
“This program is built on pride, resilience and toughness, and it’s time to bring it all back,” Silverfield said at the press conference. “Being all in together, we will rebuild it, we will earn it, and we will make this state proud.”
Finances were one of the biggest points in both the press conference and the public introduction a few hours later. Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek has made a point for the last year that the Razorbacks need more contributions for NIL funds in order to compete at a higher level in the SEC. The first audible announcement over the loudspeaker before Silverfield took the dais was one asking for money.
NIL war chests are tight-lipped secrets across college football. But Arkansas’ football attendance, which equates to revenue earned, ranks fifth from the bottom in the SEC. Both Silverfield and Yurachek said finances were a key topic during the interview and contract negotiations.
“I think it’s our competitive advantage not to give details of what that is, other than to tell you that it is a significant investment in all aspects of our football program that will move us to the top half of spending in all of those categories I mentioned in the Southeastern Conference,” Yurachek said. “I don’t believe we need to be at the top of spending. We need to be somewhere where we’re really competitive and Ryan and I are on the same page with where we are.”
Quarterback KJ Jackson and defensive end Quincy Rhoads Jr. both joined the press conference and announced they would return to the team in 2026. Jackson, a rising sophomore, took over as Arkansas’ starting quarterback for the final game of the season and is largely considered the future of the position. Rhoads finished in a tie for fifth in the SEC in sacks (8) and second in the league in tackles for-loss (17 1/2).
Silverfield told fans he doesn’t think a rebuild will take long.
“It’s not one of those things where we’re sitting here saying, ‘Hey, you know, Hunter, I need three years to rebuild this,’” Silverfield said. “No. We can start rebuilding the culture the moment we step down.”
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