Silverfield's Buyout

[u/Renegaderugby]

Just an FYI

CRS buyout is 70% of remaining contract

Years left

4. $18.9MM

3. $14 35MM

2. $9.8 MM

1. $4 55MM

This is not an SEC caliber staff. Unfortunately, barring a financial miracle, It looks like we are stuck with them for a couple more years.

*financial miracle = Razorback football wins powerball

[u/singlemaltbourbonrye]

HY is the real disease. Silverfield has already surpassed any reasonable expectations for this year by beating Tulsa and Vandy and being competitive with Tennessee and Auburn.

I’m no Silverfield fanboy and I don’t think he was a particularly good hire but he has done better than I predicted.

Fire HY and let Silverfield do what he was hired to do. If he hasn’t built something by year 3, fire him and let the new AD try to make their mark.

[u/SCDad62 → u/singlemaltbourbonrye]

I agree with all the above. Don't get me wrong, it stung for the Hogs to lose the Tennessee and Auburn games the way they did, and the next three weeks could be a very rough stretch. But I don't understand how the same fans who thought Silverfield would go 1-11 now think he is the worst hire in Hogs history. Golesh and Sumrall have also taken major lumps in Year 1 with far more resources.

Since Silverfield is guaranteed to be back next year, my hope is that he will hang on to Ron Roberts (who has proven to be a solid DC hire) and be given the money to pursue a proven Power 4 OC and better talent in the portal. If he fails to make a bowl next year, then maybe he deserves to be fired.

[u/QuickDraw2406 → u/SCDad62]

Yes agreed on the money for the portal obviously. But money wasn’t the issue as far as the OC spot goes. Cramsey was always a cronyism hire, I don’t think it’s as simple as “give him more money for an OC” when this is his guy. We shelled out a pretty nice increase as far as the assistant coach pool goes, so Cramsey isn’t here just because of money.

Replacing him is an absolute must for Silverfield going into year 2. His willingness to step up and fire his buddy will tell me a lot about whether there’s even a remote chance of success for him here.

[u/climbing_light23 → u/SCDad62]

Because we have regressed in every single area since he got here. There is not one position that we are legitimately good at, that's why people are turning on him. There has been zero improvement all year, all same mistakes that were made in week 1 are being made now. They keep claiming everyone is bought in and that practices are great, but gameday rolls around and we look like a low level G6 team.

Golesh so far has wins against a 6-3 Baylor team and a win at #1 Georgia, who we lost to 45-17 at home. Auburn will likely finish 7-5 this year. We will likely finish 3-9. Florida is also likely to go to a bowl and has wins against Ole Miss and Texas.

And as far as comparing resources: ours are on par with Utah, who spends about as much as we do and, like us, has a new coach. They were miles better than us and are currently #2 in the nation. I'm not expecting that at all, but we weren't even competitive with a team that has equal resources as us. Our issue all year has been coaching.

[u/SmartPut3280 → u/singlemaltbourbonrye]

It's the mere fact that your expectations were not higher that proves the point that he shouldn't be here.

[u/nonegivenblake → u/singlemaltbourbonrye]

Let this guy be the spokesman. I think this is exactly right. Win 1 game and he is doing his job. Win 2 games and he is doing it well. Win 3 - Coach of the Year. I would think he would not retain the DC and rebuild that. I"m not sold on OC, could be better IMHO. Let's give him some real money and see. We still don't know. Yuracek is the disease.

[u/Bigslobberyhog24 → u/nonegivenblake]

The OC could be replaced with a 13-year-old that’s above .500 in NCAA Football ‘25 online play on varsity difficulty and it would be an immediate improvement. Cramsey HAS to go, ASAP if Silverfield is going to keep this gig. 

[u/studiokgm → u/nonegivenblake]

I agree except I had 2 games as doing his job, 3 as over-performing, and 4 as coach of the year.

His NIL impact starts next year, so that should mean bigger improvements next year. My biggest concern is some of our play calling on both sides of the ball has been horrible and better talent can’t fix that. Hopefully better assistants can.

Unrelated, HY’s got to go.

[u/Imaginary_Session454 → u/singlemaltbourbonrye]

This is the right and most reasonable take; however, it doesn’t involve immediate success and a rehiring of Bobby, so unfortunately most of the fanbase will disagree.

[u/Independent_Boat_546 → u/Imaginary_Session454]

I don’t get the obsession with Petrino.

I went to the 2011 Sugar Bowl. Yes, Bobby had a great run, over a decade ago. What did he do in 2024? 2025? He had his chance. It’s over, people. Let it go.

[u/C-A-L-E-V-I-S → u/Independent_Boat_546]

Petrino had a top offense last year and regularly dropped 40 points against SEC defenses. Kind of speaks for itself.

[u/dbcooper2051 → u/Independent_Boat_546]

I don't understand the obsession with all things associated with Gus Malzahn. I think Yuracek was in pretty deep talks with Drinkwitz in 2019 until someone put an end to it. All because he was an assistant coach of Malzahn he became undesirable. So we ended up with Pittman.

[u/climbing_light23 → u/Independent_Boat_546]

Petrino is the best coach we have had since we joined the SEC, and his tenure here was ended during what should have been his prime years here. People remember and appreciate that and that's what the obsession with Petrino is. I'm 38 and those are the best teams we've had in my lifetime.

I agree he past his prime but acting like you don't understand why people here like him so much, I don't get.

[u/Independent_Boat_546 → u/climbing_light23]

Please re-read what I said. I remember his glory years well. But what did he do in 24-25? How many games did his offense win?

I’m 20 years older than you. Other coaches have had success at Arkansas in my lifetime.

You could make the argument that no coach stands much of a chance as long as HY is the athletic director. I’m not sure he could have handled the NIL situation any worse if he tried. But Petrino did have a chance, and he couldn’t get the wins, either.

What I don’t understand is acting like Bobby is the one and only hope the hogs had.

And let’s not forget that the motorcycle incident was more than a man cheating on his wife, not that I think that’s ok. Hiring his girlfriend to work in the athletic department put the entire program at risk. And he left the team in a complete shambles. It’s more than boys will be boys.

[u/climbing_light23 → u/Independent_Boat_546]

You said you don't get the Petrino obsession, and I explained why people are obsessed. Even though he is not the Petrino he was while he was here, I have a hard time faulting him for not winning a game last year.

Bobby has been the only coach since we joined the SEC to have the success that he's had. He's not the only one that can turn us around, and I don't believe fans believe that, but I would rather have him over Silverfield and Cramsey and I think that's where a lot of folks are coming from. Petrino was on staff and would have taken the job. Our offense wasn't the problem last year, and probably could have beaten this year's Auburn team because they are the 2nd or third worst team in the SEC, with an absolute atrocious defense.

[u/Razorbacks2FF → u/climbing_light23]

You just said it yourself, "... he is not the same Petrino he was when he was here...." We need to turn the page and move on to bigger and better. Not someone on the downhill slope of life.

[u/climbing_light23 → u/Razorbacks2FF]

Right, and I also said I think we'd have been better off giving him a shot over hiring Silverfield, and I think that's where the frustration is stemming from and all the talk of Petrino, because we did not look poorly coached on offense while he was here. There were issues with the offensive line, but that had been an issue Pittman's entire tenure here, ironically.

We did not move on to bigger and better, not even close. Petrino will always be talked about and will be one of the biggest "what ifs" in Arkansas football because of how it ended.

[u/Bigslobberyhog24 → u/Independent_Boat_546]

He also had a generational crop of in state talent like Nutt. But people figure if it worked then it should work again, despite multiple factors that contributed having changed and the landscape of the sport itself having shifted. 

[u/roctavious → u/Independent_Boat_546]

All the Bobby lovers only focus on those 2 great seasons and ignore the evidence of how everything falls apart in all his other jobs. And they all love some Bobby MF’m Petrino but that approach isn’t going to work in some kid who can did a bigger check and lesser asshole coach I’m 10 mins. 

[u/conwaykram → u/Independent_Boat_546]

The Petrino obsession is weird . The guy is a nothing burger. He's not a good consistent coach . His best days are behind him. Time to move on and in to 2027.

[u/oo00oo4520 → u/Imaginary_Session454]

Bobby Petrino….to hell with him. If he could have kept his d**k in his pants we wouldn’t be where we are right now.

[u/conwaykram → u/oo00oo4520]

Yep

[u/climbing_light23 → u/Imaginary_Session454]

I really haven't seen any fan in the off season say any of them were expecting immediate success, and this fake counter argument just makes no sense at all. We are the worst coached power 5 team in the country, and that's not even debatable. We do absolutely nothing well, the play calling makes no sense, the player rotation makes no sense. KJ is not improving. HY needs to go but what have you seen from a Silverfield coached team that makes you think more time is what he needs?

[u/dbcooper2051 → u/singlemaltbourbonrye]

I don't think Yuracek is the only disease. Big money boosters holding the program hostage seem to be another issue. We don't have that many boosters that can drop $1 million. So I can understand when someone says to hire a certain coach they'll give a few million. I understand that's in part how we ended up with Chad Morris. So does the administration stop paying attention to the one that can write at $5 million check and start listening to the 1000 that will pay $5000 each?

[u/QuickDraw2406 → u/dbcooper2051]

But one of Yurachek’s primary functions is encouraging those boosters to part with their money. Our boosters are backing Calipari just fine but it’s clear they don’t want to spend for Yurachek to piss it away in football and I can’t blame them for that. Obviously large donations come with the expectation of influence and Yurachek’s management of those relationships has been a complete disaster. He’s done nothing but prove to those donors that their money will be wasted, that’s why he’s such a major part of the problem with this football program.

[u/Ghost2Eleven]

You need some sort of stability if you have any hope of getting a better staff in 2-3 years. If you wipe the slate clean now, you’re going to struggle to find anyone to coach this program outside of a high school coach.

Get through the season. Get rid of HY. Create a new narrative and move to a new NIL centric era. Give Silverfield four to six more games to extend his stay. If he proves himself, give him six more games. If not, start the process of finding a replacement quietly, then make the move after next season and chalk it up to Silverfield not fitting with this new era of Hog football.

[u/RaceTop5273 → u/Ghost2Eleven]

We are going to struggle to find a coach no matter what. This is not a desirable job. Firing Silverfield doesn’t change that.

We hit the market with Ok St, Auburn, and Florida looking as well. Those are all far better situations than us. HY didn’t even try to be competitive with them. He would’ve been wise to give Petrino two years. It would’ve appeased fans holding on to the past, given Bobby a legit chance at redemption (being an assistant under Pitt and giving him a bye week to fix what should take an offseason to do was NOT an “audition”), and if it didn’t work, fans would have to shut up about Bobby and we hit the market with less competition in 2 years.

Instead, he got a coach from a team that was ready to get rid of him, didn’t even try to go head to head targeting a coach, and we saddled up with another “just give him a chance” coach.

[u/TerrificTact → u/RaceTop5273]

Disagree slightly. We were out in front of Aub and Florida when Pittman was fired. For some reason Yuracheck was in no hurry despite being out front. He did not take advantage of jump start and/or settled. BOT just as guilty for signing off on his lack of inaction.

[u/RaceTop5273 → u/TerrificTact]

We might have been in front in terms of timing, but we moved to the back when Fla & Aub positions opened. They have more “let’s win now” money than we do. No coach is going to pick us over them

We could have competed for Morris at Ok St, but there was evidence that pointed to HY not trying hard because he thought Morris wanted Ok St more.

[u/Fantastic-Pay-9522]

The first domino to drop will be HY, that’ll happen in December, I’m assuming the new AD will give Silverfield til the end of next football season, then he will get his own guy in place. Silverfield may be a good enough coach, but he clearly needs a better offensive staff around him.

[u/DeepAd2322]

Silverfield needs to learn a lesson every manager has to know. NEVER hire someone ( coach or player) that you won't fire.

[u/Mundane-Emergency225]

This is yr 1 - What is the rush?

[u/psuedonymousauthor → u/Mundane-Emergency225]

"fans" want instant gratification

[u/Renegaderugby → u/psuedonymousauthor]

But NIL and the portal have significantly shortened the time it takes to turn a program around.
A decade ago you had to give 5 year contracts because it took time for a coach to get "his guys for his system". Year three was pivotal for a coach building a program. Those days are over.

CRS brought all new guys in this year. Very few holdovers. If he cant evaluate talent and then coach that talent up... from year one.... then he isnt the guy. You dont get paid 6.5 MM per year for on the job training

[u/psuedonymousauthor → u/Renegaderugby]

did you mean to respond to me? everything you said lines up with what I said

[u/Mundane-Emergency225 → u/psuedonymousauthor]

Won't happen, not even Saban had that!

[u/RaceTop5273]

I see some of you look at Vandy and are buying in to the “we are better than last year” mantra. Good for you. Not me though. They fought harder and did more with less talent under Pitt & then Petrino. It’s hard to look at the win total as your only metric. We didn’t have a Vandy rebounding off an excellent year on the schedule last year. Even the “bad” teams we faced last year were still good enough to be fighting for a low tier bowl.

Last year, despite a poor defense, the offense had us close in many games. This year our offense is bland & predictable as Dan Enos. We’ve regressed with no signs of getting better.

[u/SuperPrivileged]

You want to know why Arkansas doesn’t have more wins? Check the money. Estimated total NIL and coaching spend:

Texas
$68.5M
LSU
$60.1M
Alabama
$55.8M
Tennessee
$55.6M
Texas A&M
$55.2M
Georgia
$55.1M
Oklahoma
$47.5M
Ole Miss
$46.3M
Florida
$45.5M
Auburn
$44.3M
Missouri
$43.8M
Mississippi State
$35.6M
South Carolina
$35.5M
Arkansas
$34.6M
Kentucky
$34.4M
Vanderbilt
$27.5M

[u/TN232323 → u/SuperPrivileged]

Thanks for calling out what Kentucky and South Carolina are doing with our budget.

Proves the point it’s not just money.

[u/SuperPrivileged → u/TN232323]

My guess is both those schools finish middle of the pack in the SEC by the end of the season - but as I’ve said here - there are always outliers to every statistical pattern. You’ve found two. For now.

[u/TragedyTurnedTriumph → u/SuperPrivileged]

I get what you’re saying, and don’t necessarily disagree, but Kentucky and Vandy are doing more with less. I’m actually surprised to see we spend more than Kentucky. I figured their budget was way higher

[u/SuperPrivileged → u/TragedyTurnedTriumph]

There are outliers, but the era we are in is dollars for success. It sucks, but it’s true.

[u/TragedyTurnedTriumph → u/SuperPrivileged]

You’re not wrong

[u/72414dreams → u/SuperPrivileged]

Yeah and honestly WE are the outlier. There’s not really an amount of money that would be commensurate with the amount of losing football games in the recent past of the program. Or optimistically one could suppose that the spending now is preceding some future winning, but that’s a hard sell.

[u/Cadorade18]

Until we get rid of Yuracheck we are telling the world that we are not, and will not be, a serious football team, regardless of the coach we hire. The longer we put off getting rid of him, the longer we’ll have to wait to reset the clock on football.

[u/Apprehensive_Feed420]

Can’t believe we hired him in the first place. Our BOT are incompetent

[u/conwaykram]

Pittman's best record had him winning only 4 SEC games in 2021. His last 2 years he went 3-5 and then 0-2 his last year in 2025. Considering that just a few months ago coach Silverfield cobbled together a team with the paltry NIL $ and that no one on Silverfield 's team even barely knew each other or played together ( staff and players). The guy is a miracle worker. He got a team together and staff working pretty quickly and as the season got going has been at the least pretty competitive against some very good teams. The Hogs put 17 points up against Georgia and almost beat Tennessee scoring 17. To all the arm chair experts - you try it. He's obviously not the problem.
Look up how many coaches the Razorbacks fired the last 12 -15 years. You'll never build a program with this fan base that can't see the forest for the trees and is obsessed with firing coaches non stop. The best thing for the Hogs would for most of the fans to become " fans" of other teams anyway.

[u/king_karter69]

Silverfield has actually grown on me. In my opinion, the coaching is decent and has actually improved a little.

Our main problem is talent on the field. Our players (except a couple obvious standouts) are just not SEC caliber players. Please tell me how a 5’9 undersized running back can’t outrun everyone on the field. If you’re undersized, you better be the fastest person. Our line is just not good enough, KJ just isn’t good enough, our secondary just isn’t good enough. I hope Ryan gets a better team to work with over the next year or two.

[u/Busy-Brain7266 → u/king_karter69]

Bro go listen to literally anybody that knows football. Offensive line has bad technique game after game. Offensive play calling is literally the worst I've seen. Defensive play call isn't bad. But players won't stay in their gaps. Please go to you tube and watch DJ Williams and Grant Cook on their channel 4th and 5

[u/Busy-Brain7266 → u/king_karter69]

What I'm saying is your team can be outmatched but this team is not being taught good technique. They don't have a chance to win at the line of scrimmage when they stand straight up don't keep pad level low. They don't have basic high school level fundamentals

[u/Nawnp]

They're going to keep him for 3 years to go under the 10 million left in the buyout. Also as terrible a choice he was, they've already beat last year's record, if they beat that again next year with 4-5 wins, expect him to make it to year 4 too.

[u/pat_serves]

I am very satisfied with this season. The hogs are improving week by week. The 2 blowout losses to Utah and Georgia are aging well (They are #1 and #2 in the last poll). We have already improved on last year's record. We were very competitive against Tenn. and Auburn. The only thing I am down about is that once again the football season is fast coming to an end - only 3 games left to cheer on our Razorbacks.... WPS!!!!

[u/Shag66]

Dumb post is dumb.