Questionable transfer portal moves, coaching staff hires have contributed to Razor…
ArkansasQuestionable transfer portal moves, coaching staff hires have contributed to Razorbacks slow start to season Arkansas spent much of the bye week getting healthy and ready to play Missouri on Halloween night, but there's another issue worth revisiting before coach Ryan Silverfield leads the Razorbacks onto the field Saturday. How much of this season's struggles could've been avoided before the first snap was ever played?
When first-year coach Ryan Silverfield took the job, he pledged to hire the best assistant coaches available. After Sam Pittman brought in Kendal Briles and Barry Odom, it was kind of hard to believe there would be two coordinators of that caliber available this offseason.
While Silverfield bagged Ron Robert (Florida, defense) and Chad Lunsford (Auburn, special teams), he opted to settle for familiarity over fireworks by bringing Tim Cramsey with him from Memphis. Through seven games, the results haven't exactly justified Silverfield'
They've also struggled to create explosive plays, recording just 28 gains of at least 20 yards, good for No. 97 in the country. Sometimes head coaches hit on hires made out of comfort, such as Curt Cignetti (Indiana), Josh Heupel (Tennessee), Willie Fritz (Houston) and Kalen DeBoer (Washington).
KEY POINTS
- At 3-4 overall and 1-3 in SEC play, it's reasonable to look back on some of the decisions made in the offseason and wonder what could've been, especially in terms of personnel and the staff he brought in for the Razorbacks fresh start.
- Arkansas Razorbacks offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey before the game against Georgia Bulldogs on Sept. 19, 2026.
- Arkansas ranks No. 114 nationally in scoring offense at just 21 points per game and No. 106 in total offense with 343 yards per contest.
- The Razorbacks have been particularly ineffective running the football, averaging 111.6 yards per game, which ranks No. 122 nationally.