Three Questions Razorbacks Need Answered Going Into Fall Camp
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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – As the Razorbacks grow closer to taking the field for their first season under Ryan Silverfield, the team still has several questions they must answer before they kick off the season against the North Alabama Lions on Sept 5.
With fall camp schedudled to start in two weeks I have listed out three of the biggest questions Silverfiled and the Razorbacks must get awnsered before leaving camp and entering the season.
Who will be the Razorbacks QB going into week 1?
Going into camp, it remains uncertain who will be under center for the Razorbacks, as a QB battle has developed, forcing Silvefield to think more carefully about who will be his first starting quarterback as the new era begins.
The two quarterbacks currentyl in contension for the starting role are redshirt freshman AJ Hill and sophmore KJ Jackson.
Going into camp, Jackson has slightly more experience than Hill, as he started the final game of the season last year against Mizzou. Although the Razorbacks lost by 14 points, Jackson showed glimpses of being a solid quarterback after completing the game with one touchdown, 126 passing yards, and no turnovers.
While Jackson did make a good first impression with the Razorbacks last season, he still must have an impressive fall camp if he wants to be named QB 1 going into the season. While Hill, who followed Silvefield from Memphis to Arkansas earlier this year, is eagerly waiting to make his start in the SEC.
Silvefield said earlier this month that he hopes a decision on who the starting quarterback will be going into the season will be made by mid-August.
Has the defense shown any signs of improvement?
During the 2025 season, the Razorbacks were viewed by many as one of the worst defenses in the SEC after giving up over 30 points in 9 games last year. Outside of giving up way too many points in 2025, the defense also allowed over 425 yards per game, which will force Silverfield to make improving defense his top priroty going into camp this year.
The defense will be led by longtime college coach Ron Roberts who has been a defensive cordinator for several other teams in the SEC through his career inclding must recently a brief stint with Auburn in 2023 and the past two seasons wiith the Flordia Gators.
Roberts' tenure in Florida should give Arkansas fans hope, as under his leadership, the Gators' defense was ranked #32 overall in the FBS last season, which is significantly better than Arkansas, which was ranked 129th last year.
Roberts and Silvefield will have their hands full as they prepare to revamp which has been considred for several year now one of the worst defenfive units in the country.
However, with 40 transfers added to the roster this offseason through the portal, including linebacker Khmori House and standout defensive back Jahiem Jackson from Tulane, the program could progress quickly and possibly become a respectable defense once they leave camp.
Is Silverfield cut out to coach in the SEC
It is no secret that the SEC is the most unforgiving conference in college football, as most coaches who get head-coaching jobs in the conference only make it three to four years before getting the ax.
Due to the ruthless nature of the SEC. fans are forced to wonder how Silvefield will fare, as he will be entering the SEC for the first time in his career after spending the past decade in Memphis.
Although Silvefield's resume speaks for itself, and he arrives in Fayetteville after building Memphis from the ground up into one of the most respectable programs in the country, the SEC, as a way of being very unfriendly to newcomers
A recent example of this is Brian Kelly, who joined the SEC for the first time in his career in 2022 when he took the head -coaching job at LSU.
From an outsider's perspective, it is hard to argue that Kelly had a bad tenure at LSU, as he led the Tigers to a winning record in all four years he was on the sidelines and finished his time in Baton Rouge with an overall record of 34-14.
However due to the extremly high expectations set in the SEC Kelly was fired from LSU mid season last year after the Tigers began showing signs of not being able to compete in the SEC anymore.
Although Arkansas' expectations for Silverfield may not be as high as LSU's expectations were for Kelly, Razorbacks fans are still forced to wonder whether Silverfield can survive in this grueling conference for more than three to four years or become one of many SEC coaches who have succumbed to the pressure.
While fall camp will not give a definitive answer on whether Silvefield has what it takes to survive in the SEC, it will give fans and media an early indicator of the odds that he will be in this conference for the long haul or not.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/arkansas as Three Questions Razorbacks Need Answered Going Into Fall Camp.
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