Update >> This is now official.
Memphis head coach Ryan Silverfield is set to become the next leader of the Razorbacks, multiple reports share this morning.
Silverfield, who had been the program's run game coordinator and offensive line coach under Mike Norvell before adding the assistant head coach title before the 2019 season, took over as the interim head coach of the Tigers in the 2019 Cotton Bowl.
After the Tigers lost that game, but finished in the top 20 nationally on the season, Silverfield was elevated to the head coaching role and has done an impressive job since taking over.
Continuing the rebuild of a program that began with Justin Fuente and then Norvell, Silverfield helped to maintain Memphis as one of the top Group of Five programs in college football.
Considered one of the frontrunners for the Group of Five bid for the College Football Playoff, Memphis had a few missteps this season, but finished the year 8-4 after three straight losses to finish the year.
Ironically enough, among those eight wins was a 32-31 win over the Razorbacks back in Week Four.
Silverfield led the Tigers to back-to-back double-digit win seasons in 2023 and 2024, going 10-3 in 2023 before a 11-2 season in 2024 where they finished among the top 25 teams in college football.
The 45-year old coaching veteran has led the Tigers to a 29-9 mark over the past three seasons, putting him among the sports top 10 winningest coaches over that span.
He was 50-25 overall with the Tigers, and 27-21 in American Conference play while also leading them to four bowl wins - the most of any head coach in the school's history.
While he has no previous experience coaching in the SEC, Silverfield has spent a handful of seasons in the NFL, with stops as an assistant offensive line coach with the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions before landing at Memphis.
The shift to Silverfield happened as a result of Alex Golesh turning his focus to the opening at Auburn, after negotiations broke down between the Razorbacks and the Bulls head coach broke down midweek last week, sources share. Golesh is now working to finalize a deal to become the head coach at Auburn.
At Arkansas, he's set to replace Sam Pittman, a fellow former offensive line coach who took over the Razorbacks in the SEC with no previous head coaching experience before he led them to a 32-34 mark overall with a 14-29 record in SEC play while also leading them to four bowl games.
Pittman was released after a 2-3 start to the 2025 season.
Stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.