FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas spent much of the bye week getting healthy and ready to play Missouri on Halloween night, but there's another issue worth revisiting before coach Ryan Silverfield leads the Razorbacks onto the field Saturday.
How much of this season's struggles could've been avoided before the first snap was ever played?
At 3-4 overall and 1-3 in SEC play, it's reasonable to look back on some of the decisions made in the offseason and wonder what could've been, especially in terms of personnel and the staff he brought in for the Razorbacks fresh start.
Cramsey Isn't Exactly Lighting Up The SEC
When first-year coach Ryan Silverfield took the job, he pledged to hire the best assistant coaches available.
After Sam Pittman brought in Kendal Briles and Barry Odom, it was kind of hard to believe there would be two coordinators of that caliber available this offseason. While Silverfield bagged Ron Robert (Florida, defense) and Chad Lunsford (Auburn, special teams), he opted to settle for familiarity over fireworks by bringing Tim Cramsey with him from Memphis.
Through seven games, the results haven't exactly justified Silverfield's decision to bring Cramsey in as his offensive coordinator. Arkansas ranks No. 114 nationally in scoring offense at just 21 points per game and No. 106 in total offense with 343 yards per contest.
The Razorbacks have been particularly ineffective running the football, averaging 111.6 yards per game, which ranks No. 122 nationally. They've also struggled to create explosive plays, recording just 28 gains of at least 20 yards, good for No. 97 in the country.
Sometimes head coaches hit on hires made out of comfort, such as Curt Cignetti (Indiana), Josh Heupel (Tennessee), Willie Fritz (Houston) and Kalen DeBoer (Washington). Then, there are others who haven't been nearly as fortunate, including Scott Frost (Nebraska) and Billy Napier (Florida).
If the Razorbacks' offense continues to appear pedestrian, Silverfield would be making a mistake by not kicking the tires on a coordinator change this offseason.
Portential coordinators to keep an eye on are Landon Keopple (Texas State), Mitch Dahlen (Oregon State), Kendal Briles (South Carolina), Hue Jackson (Georgia State), and Kevin McGiven (Utah) and that's just few to look into if Silverfield hasn't already begun exploring that possibility.
Not Landing a Proven Transfer QB
Nine of the top 11 college quarterbacks in 247Sports transfer portal rankings have elevated their respective teams in some way. Arkansas pursued East Carolina transfer quarterback Katin Houser during the portal window, but he ultimately chose Illinois, where he provided consistent production for Bret Bielema's team.
Houser, who was injured in the team's sixth game of the season, completed 122-of-184 passes for 1,440 yards, 12 touchdowns and four interceptions. Other passers in that bracket of the market included Beau Pribula (Virginia), Kenny Minchey (Kentucky), Colton Joseph (Wisconsin), Lincoln Kienholz (Louisville) and Anthony Colandrea (Nebraska), who have all had their moments in 2026.
There's also a chance KJ Jackson continues to improve this season. Since Week 3 against Georgia, the 6-foot-4, 225 pound passer has completed 93-of-146 passes (63.7% completion rate), 1,038 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions while tacking on another 79 yards and three more on the ground in that stretch.
Jackson currently grades out as the SEC's No. 13 overall passer, according to Pro Football Focus at a 64.6 overall grade. If the Razorbacks want to compete for bowl games or a College Football Playoff then nabbing one out of the portal who grades out in the high-70s to lower 80s is pivotal.
Not Adding Another Proven Pass Rusher
The Razorbacks are among the worst at finishing out pressure plays with 63.1 pass rush grade, 16 hurries, 10 sacks, and seven QB hits on the season. With Quincy Rhodes hurt to start the year, that left Steven Soles as the lone pass rusher with a track record for creating havoc in kopposing backfields.
Roberts was high on several of the defensive linemen he inherited and those added through the transfer portal, but few have emerged as consistent contributors in creating negative plays. It's likely Arkansas will try to keep the majority of the underclassmen while attempting to lure in a trio of transfers to enhance depth and overall playmaking ability.
The market for pass rushers is steep, and if Arkansas wants to nab one or two they may have to pay a premium to get them here, according to The NIL Standard. With Rhodes likely gone to pursue NFL opportunities after the season, it's imperative Silverfield has the budget at his disposal to bring in a competitive defense next season.
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