FAYETTEVILLE - Ryan Silverfield spent much of Monday talking about what comes next for Arkansas, even though the Razorbacks still have three regular-season games left in 2026.
The biggest topic was the College Football Playoff’s move to 24 teams beginning in 2027, a change Silverfield sees as another door opening for his program.
“As a head coach here for me, the goal obviously is to be in this discussion next year,” Silverfield said. “That needs to be the goal for this football program to be in the discussion every time there is a playoff talk.
Right now, my focus is on getting ready for South Carolina. But it’s an extra added opportunity for more teams to get into the fight.”
The reaction around college football has not exactly been warm, but the larger field could help a team like Arkansas as it keeps building. The Razorbacks still have plenty of ground to cover before a playoff berth becomes a real-time conversation, but the expanded format makes that possibility feel closer than it did before.
That future-facing tone carried into the discussion of Arkansas’ roster, too. With the final stretch of the season approaching, the transfer portal and the question of who stays and who leaves are already in the air.
Silverfield pushed back on the idea that younger players such as Markeylin Batton and Danny Beale getting reps in Saturday’s 26-23 road loss to Auburn had anything to do with next season.
“It’s all about trying to win right now,” he said.
He was also asked how he and his staff go about evaluating portal options and when conversations with current players about staying might begin.
“Legally, we probably shouldn’t be looking at anybody until January 4 when they announce that they’re going in the portal,” Silverfield said. “There is a lot of film being watched on every player and every level of college football, by every institution.
I mean, even Division II schools arescouting every school in the country to figure out who may be out there and who may be available. We’ve got full faith in our recruiting department.
“You’re just kinda always keeping your ears to the ground, your eyes open, and trying to make sure that, 1. that your current roster is taken care of and it is moving forward what you want it to look like. “Obviously, there’s the low hanging fruit that the staffs that are no longer intact because, a lot of times, just like when we took this program where there’s some kids that already made the decision, that they weren’t gonna be a part of this moving forward.
And, and sometimes that’s out there, obviously. Agents are making calls all the time.
I try not to go too far down those rabbit holes because I’ve got enough on the surface right here, just trying to get ready for South Carolina.”
Silverfield said his approach with possible returnees is an “open-door policy,” and he noted that “some players” have already let him know they’re interested in coming back.
“Those are good, comfortable conversations,” Silverfield said. “Then if they proceed into going to have the conversations with what that looks like financially, so be it. But listen, there are plenty of guys on this current roster that we want to keep, and guys that are going to be a part of our future and help us not just in these next three games or however long we get to play the season, but for the years to come.”
If Arkansas doesn’t win out and reach a bowl, the portal chatter figures to pick up fast after the season finale against No. 14 LSU on Nov. 28.
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Braeden McAlister is now in the mix as a possible option for the longer attempts, which gives Arkansas a decision to make on how it wants to handle pressure kicks going forward. Teams can live with inconsistency at a lot of spots, but not when points are being left on the field in tight games, and the Razorbacks appear ready to explore a change before the next close one turns on the same issue again. [Read more 🡒]
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Kelsi Musick pointed to the physical nature of the game as the biggest takeaway, and that matters for a team that is still early in its season and still learning how to handle different kinds of pressure. Arkansas is 3-0, but the next step comes quickly against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, where the Razorbacks will have a chance to show they absorbed the lesson without letting a close call linger. [Read more 🡒]
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The Razorbacks have already allowed 23 sacks through nine games, a number that underscores how often the offense has been put behind the chains. Cramseys point was less about assigning blame than about execution, with Arkansas needing cleaner work from every piece of the offense if it wants to cut down on sacks and the negative plays that keep drives from getting started. [Read more 🡒]