Razorbacks’ rebuild is daunting, but new coach has chance to wake up a sleeping program
Most teams that finish 2-10 the previous season never hear the end of negative press in the offseason.
It’s no different at Arkansas, where new coach Ryan Silverfield is looking for a quick turnaround.
Despite having a dynamic offense, the Razorbacks struggled to stop anyone with a pulse on defense.
With a unit that was generationally weak yet again under former coach Sam Pittman, Arkansas finished in the 100s for scoring defense, total yards allowed and several other critical areas.
Silverfield’s coaching staff kept a number of talented skill players on offense. However, they made wholesale changes defensively in order to field an improved unit at each level.
At one point, Arkansas football was considered a sleeping giant in the SEC.
A championship tradition that began in the Southwest Conference, numerous All-Americans, and future Hall of Famers graced Razorback Stadium for decades.
From 1998-2011, the Razorbacks enjoyed the the height of its success before it all came crashing down.
Former Big Ten championship coach Bret Bielema couldn’t turn things around, Chad Morris was in over his head by it, and Sam Pittman had a co’ beer drinking good time for a couple years but couldn’t sustain it.
Now, it’s up to a “great coach” in Silverfield to get the ship whipped around. And he just might be the man for the hardest job in college football.
Hey, if Clark Lea can get a historically terrible Vanderbilt program to 10-wins then Silverfield can work his magic at Arkansas.
Although he didn’t win a conference title at Memphis such as his predecessors Justin Fuente and Mike Norvell, Silverfield still went 50-25 in six seasons with multiple victories over Power Four teams and back-to-back 10-win seasons.
The Razorbacks might be a daunting rebuild, and it’ll take a fearless coach to come in and fix it. Which is why an anonymous coach doubting that Silverfield can get it done is preposterous.
“They’re not considered a sleeping giant. Ryan Silverfield is a great coach who might have taken the wrong Power 4 job at the wrong time,” the anonymous coach told Athlon Sports. “If you look at their SEC schedule, the nine teams that they have to play are pretty daunting, and then you add Utah.
“That doesn’t set up for Year 1 success. In this day and age, if you don’t have Year 1 success, narratives get forced upon you that you’ve gotta find a way to shake.”
Arkansas’ schedule is considered brutal by some, but no one else around college football would embrace such a slate.
That’s the same case made for all teams in the league though. It’s not a foreign concept.
The strength of schedule metric in general is more skewed now more than ever before due to the landscape of college athletics.
Games against Georgia, Texas, Texas A&M, Tennessee, LSU, Missouri, Vanderbilt, South Carolina and Auburn sets up beautifully for a rebound.
Nine wins may not be attainable, but a semblance of growth with a bowl appearance is a nice measuring stick.
Just look at how Lea brought Vanderbilt from annual doormat to national relevance. It was because of his belief in culture, discipline and execution that his team bought in for a much higher goal.
Silverfield steps into a program with a starved fanbase that wants to cheer a winner. They’re tired of mediocrity and accepting their place in the SEC.
That’s why Silverfield might actually be the right guy for the right job at the best time. A hard job with loads of pressure shouldn’t scare a single coach.
Between 20+ years of experience in college builds (UCF), rebuilds (Arizona State, Memphis) and learning under NFL coaches (Detroit, Minnesota) it’s safe to say Silverfield has seen it all.
In fact, he has only been on one staff since 2006 that finished under .500 in the regular season. That happened to be his first season at the college level at UCF in 2006.
He knows how to win and understands what’s at stake in Fayetteville.
This is the kind of job that can elevate a man’s coaching profile. All he has to do is start feeding that monster again.