Arkansas hires Ryan Silverfield: Razorbacks tap Memphis coach to replace Sam Pittman

Arkansas has hired Memphis' Ryan Silverfield as its next coach, the school announced on Sunday. Silverfield replaces Sam Pittman, who was fired after a 32-34 record in six seasons with the program. 

Silverfield was promoted to head coach at Memphis in 2020 after working as offensive line coach and associate head coach under Mike Norvell. In six full seasons, Silverfield posted a 50-24 record, including an AP Top 25 finish in 2024. 

The former offensive line coach led the Tigers to 21 wins in a two-year period but finished his tenure with a disappointing 8-4 record in 2025. Unlike his two predecessors, Silverfield failed to win a conference championship in the American Conference. Memphis started 6-0 and shocked South Florida in a marquee matchup, but ultimately lost four of their last six games to cement a disappointing year. 

"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 AD Hunter Yurachek said in a statement. "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. Throughout the search process, Coach Silverfield's proven ability to win games over a sustained period separated him from the pack and make him the right choice to be our next head football coach. His teams at Memphis have been consistent winners since he took over the program in 2019. The knowledge of our state and region he brings along with the ability to build and maintain a program will provide a great foundation for our program moving forward. We are excited to welcome his wife, Katie, and their two daughters, Adeline and Celicia, to Arkansas."

Now, Silverfield heads to Arkansas to turn around a struggling program. The Razorbacks lost seven straight games under interim coach Bobby Petrino to finish 2-10, the program's worst finish since Chad Morris's final season in 2019. It was only the fourth winless campaign in SEC play since joining the conference more than 30 years ago. 

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The Razorbacks have a difficult schedule ahead in 2026, including a road trip to play Utah in nonconference. Arkansas will also play Georgia, LSU, Tennessee, at Texas, at Texas A&M and at Vanderbilt. Silverfield will also have to replace star quarterback Taylen Green, top running back Mike Washington and receiver O'Mega Blake, all of whom are out of eligibility. 

Memphis system

Silverfield came to Memphis in 2016 after spending time as an assistant offensive line coach in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions. At Memphis, he helped institute and revolutionize a dynamic zone running game that produced some of the best running games of the past few years. 

During his tenure as running game coordinator, the Tigers produced NFL running backs Darrell Henderson, Tony Pollard, Antonio Gibson and Kenneth Gainwell. Offensive linemen Dustin Woodard and Dylan Parham also went to the league under Silverfield's tutelage. 

At their best in the 21st Century, Arkansas has run the ball at a high level and produced elite offensive linemen. Silverfield is their choice to bring him back. 

Financial dynamic

Earlier this season, Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek got up in front of a crowd of boosters and admitted that the football program did not have championship-level investment. For Silverfield, the dynamic will be a notable change. 

Over the past three years, Memphis has been the most invested program in the American Conference in NIL and revenue sharing. This year, only South Florida cleared the Tigers' investment. At Arkansas, Silverfield will have to figure out how to do more without elite level resources compared to the rest of the conference.