Ryan Silverfield-Alex Golesh chatter dominated SEC media days

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We just have to be honest about the reality facing Ryan Silverfield and Arkansas football: The coach, his 2026 team, and his overall program have to earn respect before anyone gives it to them. This is especially true for Silverfield and the comparison involving him and Auburn coach Alex Golesh. Sports Illustrated and national college football reporters could not deny this at SEC media days:

"It wasn't necessarily because they had a personal grudge against Silverfield or his solid 50-25 record as the head coach at Memphis. But he was not the splash hire many were hoping for, especially after Trey Schaap of 103.7 The Buzz reported on Nov. 26 that then-USF head coach Alex Golesh was taking the job at Arkansas.

"As it turned out, Golesh did have a deal in principle with the UofA, though he later ended up taking the head coaching job at Auburn. CBS college football reporter Brandon Marcello explained Wednesday on the Chuck and Bo Show why Silverfield was seen by many Razorback fans as a downgrade compared to Golesh.

"'The knock on [Silverfield] you'll hear a lot, and I'm sure there's credence to it, is that he probably had the richest program as far as money at Memphis within the NIL era and never won a conference championship there,' Marcello said. 'But then I sit back and go, Alex Golesh didn't really get to do that, either. You look at their last season, they kind of fell apart near the end of the year.'

"Part of the reason Razorback fans may have been more upset about missing out on Golesh is because of his SEC experience as the offensive coordinator from 2021-22. In 2022, Golesh's offense was the best in Tennessee history, scoring a whopping 46.1 points per game in a year where the Vols went 11-2 and won the Orange Bowl.

"'People see a Golesh offense and they go, man, that's real exciting. That's great.'

"In addition to Silverfield and Golesh, Florida head coach Jon Sumrall, who previously served as the head coach at Tulane, was the third head coach to come from the American to the SEC in the latest coaching cycle, though he was never as seriously linked with Arkansas as Golesh was.

"'Jon Sumrall, he's just so freaking candid and energetic,' Marcello said. 'That guy could do four tasks at once and not lose track of the mission.'

"Marcello then brought a much-discussed photo of Silverfield that was posted on Arkansas' official social media accounts earlier this week. The photograph has spawned many memes and other jokes across social media, with Marcello saying many individuals at SEC Media Days in Tampa, Fla., have said that the first-year Head Hog has 'no aura.'"

We can hate this. We can ignore it. No matter. It's going to be a story until Ryan Silverfield does something to make Arkansas fans forget about it. Hopefully he will. Until then, the Golesh comparisons will continue.

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