Former Memphis Player Isn't Alone In Wondering If Silverfield Could Only Last One Season at Arkansas

FAYETTEVILLE — Could Ryan Silverfield be out at Arkansas after just one season?

The idea almost seems ludicrous at first. Even Chad Morris, who went 4-18 during his short-lived tenure as HC, got a second season.

But with athletic director Hunter Yurachek's future murky, it's not entirely out of the realm of possibility that Silverfield, who has drawn his share of criticism from fans after Arkansas' 2-4 start, could be let go if Yurachek is fired first.

Former Memphis OL Gabe Kuhn, who played at UM while Silverfield was the OL coach, brought up the question on Tuesday's edition of "The Gabe Kuhn Show."

"Here's my question with Ryan: it's six games into this thing," Kuhn said. "I don't think I'm counting out the idea that Hunter Yurachek could be out by the end of the season. That's been reported throughout the season thus far. I'm also not counting out the idea that if Hunter's out, Ryan's out, either, even though it's been a very, very, very short time. It's not like they had some long-term deal in place for Ryan."

Silverfield signed a five-year, $33.5 million deal with Arkansas. His buyout, if he were to be fired before the end of 2026, would be roughly $19 million.

For a program already struggling financially, that would literally be a high price to pay. But a new AD would likely want to hire his or her own coach anyway, and a brand new start may be better in the long run.

Of course, it still seems unlikely that Silverfield is gone after only one season at Arkansas, and he still has six games left to prove that he's capable of turning the program around. But so far, things have gotten so bad that the question, however absurd it may seem, is legitimate.

"I don't necessarily want to see that, nor do I think it's the most fair thing in the world," Kuhn said. "He was brought into an awful situation. It feels like the football program is at a disadvantage.. are we counting out the idea that he could be out of a job after just one year?"

Kuhn isn't the only pundit wondering how short-lived Silverfield's tenure at Arkansas could be. Brandon Walker questioned on Oct. 5 if Silverfield could be out after just one season in Fayetteville.

"I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility that Arkansas tries to do a do-over this year," Walker said. "Their fan base was never in love with the Silverfield hire. They are significantly the worst team in the SEC."

Notably, Walker's comments came before the Razorbacks battled No. 14 Tennessee in a seven-point loss, though the marked improvement the Hogs showed was marred by several poor coaching decisions down the stretch, including Silverfield to punt on fourth and 10 on Arkansas' final drive.

"They got the hire wrong," Walker said.

If he were to be fired after one season, Silverfield would be the first UA head coach to only last a single season since John L. Smith in 2012.

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