Arkansas is reportedly set to hire an American Conference coach to lead its football program, just not the one everyone figured.
Memphis’ Ryan Silverfield will take over the Razorbacks, according to multiple reports. Conflicting reports surfaced last week that South Florida coach Alex Golesh was headed to Arkansas, but those were apparently premature.
The 45-year-old Silverfield is 50-25 in seven seasons at Memphis, including 8-4 this season. However, he has never finished higher than tied for third in the American Conference standings.
Silverfield would replace Sam Pittman, who was fired Sept. 28 after a 56-13 home loss to Notre Dame dropped Arkansas to 2-3. Offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino took over as interim coach, but went 0-7 the rest of the season.
What Arkansas hiring Silverfield means for Golesh is unclear. It’s possible he winds up at another SEC school, such as Auburn or Ole Miss.
