Sports

Arkansas Fans Organize Protest Of New Football Coach After Duped By Fake Reports

#Arkansas Razorbacks
by Last Updated
Ryan Silverfield protest Arkansas

iStockphoto / © Wesley Hale-Imagn Images


Ryan Silverfield is expected to be the next head football coach at the University of Arkansas. Just last week, that did not appear to be the case.

The Razorbacks were tied to another Group of Five replacement. It seems the fanbase was fooled by false reports. It’s not thrilled with the news that’s followed.

The school fired Sam Pittman in the middle of the year following a 2-3 start. Coordinator Bobby Petrino took over in the interim.

Petrino was expected to get a look from administration about removing the “interim” label from his job title. He did not land the promotion after going 0-7 to close the year.

Instead, the Razorbacks are bringing in new blood in the form of an outside hire.

Who is Arkansas’s new football coach?

Ryan Silverfield took over at Memphis following Mike Norvell’s move to Florida State. In six seasons, he’s gone 50-24 with four bowl wins and a pair of 10+ win campaigns.

He’s been previously mentioned as a possible SEC replacement. Now, that speculation has become reality.

Arkansas named Silverfield its football coach on Sunday.

It became clear during our conversations that Coach Silverfield shares our vision of making the College Football Playoffs and competing for a national championship. With our new and significant financial investment in the football program, we are confident we now have the coach and resources to make that happen.

Throughout the search process, Coach Silverfield’s proven ability to win games over a sustained period separated him from the pack and make him the right choice to be our next head football coach.

-Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Hunter Yurachek

The Razorbacks are 50-75 across the last 10 seasons. Administration believes Silverfield is the man that can turn the program around. The fanbase does not appear sold on that promise.

Razorbacks protest Ryan Silverfield hiring.

Fans were spotted in Fayetteville calling for AD Hunter Yurachek’s job. They are not thrilled with how the coaching search played out.

In fact, many believed they’d already landed a top target in Alex Golesh. Reports of a deal surfaced late last week. The USF coach shot down those false reports on Saturday.

“[The Arkansas football rumors] were nothing that I put out there,” he said. “It wasn’t true.”

Less than 24 hours later, Golesh was introduced as the next Auburn head coach. The Razorbacks got Silverfield.

The fanbase may not be happy with the hire, especially after seemingly whiffing on their previous target. If there’s any consolation, it’s that Silverfield went a perfect 3-0 against Golesh and beat the Hogs on their home field earlier this year.