FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas coach Ryan Silverfield had the best of both worlds as coach of the Memphis Tigers.

He won a lot of games and had access to the resources to build a successful program.

Once he was hired as coach of the Razorbacks, apparently the program already had a certain amount of funds set aside to piece together a roster. The financial budget remained so little for a coach who promised to turn the program around quickly that expectations grew from another 2-10 to potentially competing for bowl eligibility in Year 1.

With so many players hitting the exit, and 82 fresh faces entering the program there was reason to believe some speedbumps would be hit along the way. When The Athletic's report revealed the Razorbacks funding for its 2026 roster was far from middle-of-the-pack, it sparked even more outrage at the current administration that set Silverfield up for immediate failure.

The biggest question Memphis sports radio host Gabe Kuhn posed to the former Tigers coach was how he could bridge the gap between being competitive while severely underfunded.

"Yeah, I mean that's the exact question we have," Silverfield said. "And I'll say this: like we're working really hard. You know, when I got here, really the the salary...I hate to say that...I shouldn't say that. The amount of money set for the 2026 roster was already set. It is what it is, and there was no changing that, right?"

If the Arkansas administration was truly committed to turning things around immediately, there are ways to amend a budget to provide the resources necessary to field a competitive football team in Silverfield's first season. Instead, with the salary in place, with the head coach at an SEC school having to do fundraising for his program completely on his own, there is reason for his mini gripe.

When a coach already has enough on his plate upon his arrival such as piecing together a high school recruiting class, making contact in the transfer portal, lining up official visits, scheduling exit meetings, putting together a competent staff and everything else outside of the job description, he might as well be his own boss.

"Like some of these schools will say, "Okay, hey, we'll keep raising the money for this roster, even though we spent money we didn't have,'" Silverfield said. "Whereas we say, "Okay, here's the money you have set aside, and that's what you have.'"

Silverfield is not allowing that to be an excuse for the product he puts on the field either.

"And where we're at, listen, we know we're going to continue to work hard," Silverfield continued. "I spent probably the last six months continuing to raise money and funding, and everybody [was] all hands on deck, right? The administration, everybody understands this is where we say we want our all to be."

In order for the first-year Razorbacks coach to be successful in the current landscape of college football, he's going to need full funding which is actually near the middle of the SEC to get there. That means increasing a roster budget from the lower $20 million to upper $30 million.

"Reality of it is that it's going to take people stepping in, you know. And I think we realize that we're so fortunate at Memphis with FedEx and what they're able to do to help step in," Silverfield said. "But it's part of it, obviously winning will help people say, "Yeah, I believe in [Arkansas]."

"I know there's things out there publicly like, oh, you know, we're 1-1, it's not going well. They didn't play well. They got their teeth kicked in by Utah. It's amazing the number of donors and people that have already given to the program who want to continue.

"Like, 'Hey, we're going to help you get this thing back. We we we know the type of coach you are, know the type of person you are. Seeing what's happening, we we've got to continue to help you.' But we're pouring our focus on the 2026 season. You and I both know — we all know — the more money you have, sometimes, it can make things a little bit easier to get some of these guys recruited."

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