Arkansas thought that its chaotic coaching search concluded after landing Memphis’s Ryan Silverfield with a five-year, $33.5 million deal. Instead of celebration, he is facing skepticism as analyst Josh Pate questions whether the Razorbacks have just repeated the same mistake as an ACC team. As history repeats itself, their gamble might come back to bite Arkansas.

ESPN’s Josh Pate said on his College Football Show, “If you give Arkansas a winner, they’ll really be all in. My default position here is that I’m very skeptical this will work out. Not because I don’t believe in Ryan Silverfield. This is nothing against him. Mike Norvell, ironically, also came from Memphis to Florida State. I’ve got nothing against Mike Norvell, but it hasn’t really been working out for him there.

But Ryan Silverfield, where’s he going? If he’s going to a place that’s aligned, everything’s lined up. He just has to knock over the first domino. Well, then it just comes down to whether he’s a good enough football coach at Arkansas.”

Significantly, Mike Norvell came in from Memphis and blasted the 2023 Florida State season, going undefeated in the regular season and ending with a 13-1 record. But then, two seasons ended all hopes. They went 2-10 last year, and this year, the Seminoles are 5-7, missing the bowls for the second consecutive year.

Another factor that contributed to his fall was not utilizing the program’s resources effectively, as recruiting became a significant issue following the 2023 Orange Bowl. Despite Norvell’s efforts, he has signed five of the program’s six worst classes, with only one class ranking in the top 12 and a total of only 10 top-100 recruits across six classes.

Talking about Ryan Silverfield, recruiting might not be a problem for him, as he finished inside the top four of the conference in all five of his complete recruiting cycles. His NFL experience will be an add-on.

During his time at Memphis, he compiled a record of 50-25 and led the Tigers to back-to-back 10-win seasons. Yet, he was unable to win a conference title. Yet, he could not win a conference title, which can be a significant shortcoming considering the intense competition in the SEC among top teams.

Additionally, financial strain has been a significant factor contributing to Arkansas’s decline. Their athletic director, Hunter Yurachek, admitted openly that the Razorbacks are not currently built to win a national championship in football.

As SEC programs now operate with athletics budgets over $300 million, Arkansas sits at $181 million with just $65 million dedicated to salaries and benefits. So, now you know why Josh Pate is skeptical about Silverfield’s success at Arkansas.

Operating within that budget, it will be a challenging task to build a new team from scratch. Analysts and fans have raised concerns about this move. Silverfield is considered a less impressive hiring choice compared to candidates like Jon Sumrall and Alex Golesh, both of whom had significantly better seasons.

However, it’s important to recognize that every coach brings unique strengths to their program. Fans organized a protest mirroring Tennessee’s infamous revolt against Greg Schiano’s hire in 2017.

So, Silverfield really needs to step up his game in Arkansas while Memphis looks for other coaches to replace him.

Memphis digs deep to replace Silverfield

Memphis launched its coaching search the moment Ryan Silverfield accepted Arkansas’s coaching job. Two names that quickly popped up were Kennesaw State head coach Jerry Mack and Oregon’s defensive coordinator Will Stein. Both bring winning resumes and have connections in Memphis.

Jerry Mack stands out as a hometown option, as he is from Memphis and coached the team in 2011. He also has experience in the SEC and NFL, having played for Tennessee and the Jacksonville Jaguars. At Kennesaw State, he led a 1-11 team to a 9-3 record in their second FBS season, earning them a spot in the Conference USA championship.

Will Stein also offers an explosive offensive mind, helping UTSA reach an 11-3 record in 2022 and powering Oregon to a 36-4 record and a top-10 scoring offense over the last three years.

Now, they are also evaluating other options in G5 teams, such as New Mexico’s head coach Jason Eck, who led the team to a 9-3 season and a conference title appearance in his first year.

With numerous candidates available, Memphis seeks a leader who can deliver a swift turnaround.