Portal shopping was Silverfield's 2026 priority. In 2027, the Arkansas coach has to recruit at an elite level.
Ryan Silverfield had to work the transfer portal hard in January, developing his 2026 roster and giving his first Arkansas football roster a chance to compete on multiple levels. Arkansas needed the haul of over 40 players to replenish the roster, clear out some of the dead weight, replace the old guard with improvements at various position groups, and create camp battles for starting roles to sharpen everyone inside the program. The portal was the first priority for Silverfield upon coming to Fayetteville.
In 2027, recruiting and roster construction will need to be even better. Best of Arkansas Sports looks at one specific unfolding storyline which could give Silverfield a chance to augment future Arkansas rosters:
"'It’s not ‘We’re not gonna be good three years from now.’ We’re gonna help be a part of this thing, to get this thing flipped,' Silverfield said. 'I look forward to actually taking a deep breath to figure out where this thing is. But [in] February, we’re gonna start building you the best recruiting class in program history for the 2027 class.'
"That’s quite the lofty promise to issue right out of the gates as a new head coach, so Silverfield needs to start showing some encouraging signs here. So far, the Hogs have only one commit after three-star quarterback Joaquin Kavouklis decommitted on Jan. 22. That leaves only offensive lineman Bradley Sturdivant, a Sheridan, Ark. native who committed to Arkansas under Sam Pittman a year ago, as the sole commitment in the class.
"But, thanks to upheaval at the top of the Michigan football program, Silverfield’s gunning for another offensive lineman to join him. This past summer, former Michigan coach Sherrone Moore dipped into north Texas to get the pledge of Tristan Dare, whom 247Sports ranks as one of the nation’s top 50 interior linemen in the 2027 class.
"Moore, though, was dipping into an awful lot more than that – and it ultimately cost him his job in spectacular fashion. Now that the dust has cleared, Michigan’s messy aftermath has left Kyle Whittingham and an unbelievably deep-pocked staff (including an offensive line coach with seven-digit contract) in charge. Naturally, the changing of the guard has left some Michigan commitments like Dare wavering."
Arkansas and Silverfield are reportedly in on this flip opportunity. James Franklin and Virginia Tech are in the mix as well. Seizing these kinds of openings will be critical to building a bigger, better, deeper Arkansas roster in 2027. Let the offseason recruiting frenzy take flight ... and hopefully, Ryan Silverfield will get this plane into the skies, cruising at high altitude before too long.