Dec. 24, 2025, 4:03 a.m. CT
- New Arkansas football coach Ryan Silverfield is making immediate changes to the program, starting with facility upgrades.
- Silverfield has replaced light bulbs, repainted walls, and ordered new weight room equipment and practice field sod.
- The coach is also implementing higher academic and behavioral standards for players.
FAYETTEVILLE — All of the light bulbs were on in Ryan Silverfield’s office when the Southwest Times Record sat down with the Arkansas football coach for a one-on-one interview on Thursday, Dec. 18.
During his introductory press conference with the Razorbacks, Silverfield used the football facility’s light as an example of the little details he wants to elevate within the program. He wanted brighter rooms, and Silverfield said the changes should be implemented immediately.
He’d go to Walmart himself, if he had to.
“The way we’re going to make sure everything is running on all cylinders here is communication and following through,” Silverfield said. “The players started to see that almost immediately. Like, when the players went down there, and I’ve had a couple of them tell me, ‘You really did change the light bulbs. Right, cool. I want to be a part of this in there.'”
During our interview, Silverfield shared other off-the-field changes he has made to the program in his first weeks on the job.
The head coach said nearly every wall in the Fred W. Smith Football Center received a new coat of paint. The grass on the practice field is in the process of being torn up with new sod going down since the previous grass went dormant. The weight room has new dumb bells, with Arkansas replacing that equipment for the first time in 18 years.
Silverfield’s been impressed by the reception to his changes from inside the facility.
“I think people are probably surprised that I didn’t just come in and just do X’s and O’s,” Silverfield said. “There’s a whole vision. There’s a whole transformation of things. … Yes, I sat down with academics. Sat down with mental health, food, every single person that’s going to touch our student athletes. If they’re doing it the right way, cool. How can we do it better?”
When he got his hands on the academic report from the fall semester, Silverfield said he nearly threw up.
According to the coach, players were missing class and grades weren’t up to his standards. He sent a message to his roster in his first days that things had to change.
“We’re going to make you go to class. You’re going to have to do community service, you’re going to have to behave the right way,” Silverfield said. “If they’re not part of that, cool, like, maybe it weeds out some people.”
The changes are all about implementing a new culture at Arkansas. Fresh off a 2-10 season, Silverfield wants to eliminate a “loser mentality” he also cited during his first press conference.
And at the end of the day, he believes the facility changes and higher expectations will help form a roster bought in to his process.
So far, the message is getting through. Standout players like Quincy Rhodes, KJ Jackson, Caden Kitler and Kobe Branham have all announced they will return to the program in 2026 rather than enter the transfer portal.
“I think that they want to be a part of the change and be a part of this culture,” Silverfield said. “I think some of them were yearning for maybe a little bit more accountability. I think ultimately, that’s what every 17-to-24 year old young man needs.”
Jackson Fuller covers Arkansas football, basketball and baseball for the Southwest Times Record, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at jfuller@usatodayco.com or follow him@jacksonfuller16 on X, formerly known as Twitter.
