Let us read it for you. Listen now.
Your browser does not support the audio element.
FAYETTEVILLE — New University of Arkansas football Coach Ryan Silverfield’s five-year deal will start with an annual salary of $6.5 million with yearly increases of $100,000 to reach $6.9 million.
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette obtained Silverfield’s five-page term sheet on Monday via a public records request. UA Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek and Silverfield, who compiled a 50-25 record in six years at Memphis, both signed the term sheet shortly after 11 p.m. Saturday night.
The total package of $33.5 million over five years is subject to the approval of the UA board of trustees. His annual salary is $350,000 through the full term, while his other annual compensation starts at $6.15 million and increases by $100,000 for each of the five years.
The agreement includes separate mandatory minimum annual salary pools for the 10 full-time assistant coaches and for other football support staff members, though both of those figures have been redacted.
In the university news release announcing Silverfield’s hiring on Sunday, Yurachek said the UA had made “a new and significant financial investment in the football program,” after he stated upon Sam Pittman’s firing in late September that the former coach didn’t have the necessary resources to compete at the highest levels of the SEC.
The wording for buyouts for both sides is noteworthy.
Silverfield, 45, would owe the UA $10 million for terminating the contract before Dec. 31, 2026, $7.5 million before the last day of 2027, $5 million before the last day of 2028, $2.5 million before the last day of 2029, and $1.25 million before the last day of the contract on Dec. 31, 2030.
The UA buyout to terminate Silverfield’s contract without cause is 70% of the total remaining annual compensation, including any scheduled increases, through the rest of the term.
Silverfield, 45, earned $2.25 million for the 2025 season and the UA is on the hook for his buyout with Memphis for $1.5 million.
The deal also comes with a variety of incentives, including $1 million for winning the College Football Playoff championship game, $750,000 for appearing in the CFP championship game, $500,000 for making the semifinals, $250,000 for making the quarterfinals, and $150,000 for either appearing in a CFP game or playing in a non-CFP Tier 1 bowl game.
Other incentives include $250,000 for winning the SEC Championship Game, $100,000 for appearing in the game, $50,000 for being named NCAA coach of the year by various organizations and $25,000 for being named SEC coach of the year.
Academic achievement incentive clauses feature $25,000 for a 90% graduation rate and $12,500 for an 80% graduation rate.
