The Razorbacks announced the hiring of Memphis’ Ryan Silverfield for its coaching vacancy on Sunday, Nov. 30. Silverfield led the Tigers to an 8-4 record this season and defeated Arkansas 32-31 on Sept. 20.
“It became clear during our conversations that Coach Silverfield shares our vision of making the College Football Playoffs and competing for a national championship,” Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek said in the announcement. “With our new and significant financial investment in the football program, we are confident we now have the coach and resources to make that happen.
Silverfield has a 50-25 record at Memphis, leading the program to back-to-back double-digit win seasons in 2023 and 2024. The Tigers went 4-0 in bowl games under the 45-year-old coach.
The Jacksonville, Florida, native was Memphis’ assistant head coach and offensive line coach under Mike Norvell, who’s now the head coach at Florida State. Silverfield was hired by Memphis in 2016 after serving as the assistant offensive line coach for the NFL’s Detroit Lions in 2015.
Silverfield will be tasked with one of the tougher jobs in the SEC, as the Razorbacks have failed to win 10 or more games since 2011. Silverfield is replacing Sam Pittman, who went 9-4 in 2021 but finished his tenure with a 32-34 record in six seasons at the helm.
Memphis was once viewed as the favorite to win the American Conference, although the Tigers stumbled late in the season. Memphis was upset 31-24 by UAB before falling in its final three games of the season against Tulane, East Carolina and Navy.
Arkansas’ season concluded with a 2-10 finish and a winless mark in SEC play after falling to Missouri 31-17 on Nov. 29 under interim coach Bobby Petrino.
This story was updated to change a video.