Ryan Silverfield’s first season at Arkansas has already sparked an uncomfortable question in Fayetteville: could it end after one year?
At first glance, that sounds far-fetched. Even Chad Morris, who finished 4-18 in a brief run as head coach, was given a second season. But with athletic director Hunter Yurachek’s future described as murky, the possibility has started to creep into the conversation that Silverfield could be the one shown the door if Yurachek is out first.
Former Memphis offensive lineman Gabe Kuhn, who played under Silverfield when he was the OL coach at Memphis, raised the topic Tuesday on “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’s contract is a five-year, $33.5 million deal, and the buyout if he were fired before the end of 2026 would be around $19 million. That kind of number would hit hard for a program already dealing with financial strain, but a new athletic director would also be expected to want to bring in a coach of his or her own.
Still, the idea of Arkansas moving on after just one season remains a tough sell. Silverfield has six games left to change the direction of a team that has opened 2-4, and the criticism from fans has only added to the noise around his tenure.
Kuhn said he doesn’t exactly want to see it happen, but he also doesn’t think the question can be brushed aside anymore.
"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 one asking. Brandon Walker floated the same idea on Oct. 5, wondering whether Arkansas might wipe the slate clean after a single season.
"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."
Those comments came before Arkansas played No. 14 Tennessee in a seven-point loss, a game that showed signs of improvement but still ended with frustration. Among the late decisions that drew attention was Silverfield’s choice to punt on fourth and 10 on Arkansas’ final drive.
If Arkansas did move on after one season, Silverfield would become the first Razorbacks head coach to last only a year since John L. Smith in 2012.
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