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Could Mike Norvell reunite with Ryan Silverfield at Arkansas?
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- Could Mike Norvell reunite with Ryan Silverfield at Arkansas?
(USA TODAY Network)
Does Arkansas football need a long-term solution instead of a band-aid? Of course it does. However, that long-term fix is firing Hunter Yurachek and then revamping the program's NIL and transfer portal operation. Arkansas needs a major organizational upgrade which then leads to a significant increase in talent level. Until any of that happens, Ryan Silverfield is fundamentally stuck and limited. There is only so much he can do. It's a grim reality for UA football, so when we talk about real long-term solutions, there aren't many.
One of the natural hot-button topics in and around the program right now is the offensive coordinator position. We already discussed why Ryan Silverfield becoming his own offensive play-caller isn't a good idea. Silverfield, in this highly mismanaged NIL environment thanks to Yurachek's lack of a clue, has to raise his own money. He has to do retail politics within the state, both with prospective donors and with local coaches and recruits as well. Having Silverfield call his own plays will only overload him with more responsibilities. A mature operation distributes responsibilities and roles. Silverfield is simply not in a good position to call his own plays on offense.
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Yet, in light of how bad the offense has been this year, it seems entirely logical to conclude that Tim Cramsey is also not the answer as offensive coordinator. Cramsey is not the best Arkansas can do, and if a solution is not the best possible answer, it shouldn't be continued into 2027.
The problem with identifying Cramsey as the main defect with the Arkansas offense, however, is that we know it's not true. The quarterback isn't good enough. Neither is the offensive line. Neither are the non-Chris Marshall receivers. The talent isn't up to par. It's not primarily a Cramsey issue, but we can all agree Cramsey is not an ideal man to call plays for UA next year.
Frankly, there is no good long-term solution for UA here. Firing Yurachek and improving the internal structure of the program is the right answer. Without that, we're all dealing with short-term considerations.
Among various short-term attempts to improve Arkansas football in 2027, here's one which doesn't seem ludicrous: Ryan Silverfield hiring Mike Norvell as offensive coordinator as a one-year stopgap.
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We know Norvell won't want to be at Arkansas for the long haul. He will probably want to get a Group of Six head coaching job, maybe a job at a smaller power conference school in the Big 12. For one year, though, Norvell might be happy collecting his Florida State buyout money and taking on a smaller role as a coordinator. Where better to do that than with his Memphis friend, Ryan Silverfield? It would be a one-year arrangement, but it represents a new configuration for Arkansas, and it might give Silverfield a level of continuity which helps him lean into other responsibilities.
Is this the best possible idea? No. Let's be clear, however: Arkansas really isn't in a position to come up with the best ideas until Hunter Yurachek is gone. Mike Norvell is not a dream hire. He would at least enable Ryan Silverfield to do something better than doing nothing, which is probably the worst way he can respond to this miserable 2026 season.
