Razorbacks open Silverfield era at bottom of SEC poll

Ryan Silverfield takes over Arkansas football with almost nowhere to go but up.

It’s really not that surprising to anybody that’s been paying attention.

The Razorbacks were tabbed 16th in this week’s SEC preseason media poll, finishing with 262 points after a 2-10 overall record and an 0-8 mark in conference play last season.

Silverfield spent the previous six seasons at Memphis before taking the Arkansas job, compiling a 50-25 record during that stretch.

He now inherits a Razorback program chasing its first 10-win season since 2011, when Arkansas went 11-2.

Maybe the bigger problem is he’s had to bring in 80 new faces and there’s no way to project or guess how they all merge together. We’ll know in November if they can win games.

That is kinda the whole point and Silverfield admitted at Media Days he’s well aware of that. He just doesn’t want to keep battling the same opinions next year.

Poll shows steep climb ahead in West

The gap between Arkansas and the rest of the league looks wide on paper.

Georgia led all teams with 2,519 points, while Texas followed with 2,449 points and a Heisman-caliber quarterback in Arch Manning.

Ole Miss checked in third after retaining quarterback Trinidad Chambliss for a sixth season, and Texas A&M landed fourth behind quarterback Marcel Reed following an 11-1 season.

LSU rounded out the top five under first-year coach Lane Kiffin, who left Ole Miss for Baton Rouge and quickly added transfer quarterback Sam Leavitt.

Familiar coaching changes across conference

Arkansas isn’t the only program breaking in new leadership this season.

Kentucky hired Will Stein away from Oregon, while Florida turned to Jon Sumrall after his playoff run at Tulane.

Auburn also has a new voice in Alex Golesh, who left USF to try to end the Tigers’ extended absence from double-digit win seasons.

For Arkansas, the poll numbers mark a starting point rather than a final judgment.

Silverfield’s coaching record at Memphis suggests he’s capable of building quickly, even if this year’s projection places the Hogs at the back of the pack.

That’s assuming he has enough players for the SEC level. He won’t be catching teams napping like he did going 5-1 against teams in the league at Memphis.

Key takeaways

• Arkansas finished last in the SEC preseason poll with 262 points after a 2-10 season.
• Ryan Silverfield arrives with a 50-25 career record from six seasons at Memphis.
• The Razorbacks are chasing their first 10-win season since going 11-2 in 2011.