Houston Nutt ‘really high’ on Ryan Silverfield: ‘He’s hitting all the right buttons’
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Houston Nutt is firmly in the corner of Arkansas first-year head coach Ryan Silverfield.
“I’m really high on Coach Silverfield. I think he’s hitting all the right buttons, starting with recruiting,” Nutt said in an interview with Hogs Plus. “I noticed when he first got into town, he went right to two or three players that were committed elsewhere and flipped ’em, especially in-state players. I think that’s huge.”
In fact, it took Silverfield just a matter of days to do so. He was hired on Nov. 30. By Dec. 2, Cherry Valley defensive lineman Danny Beale (Cherry Valley), along with Bryant High School teammates TJ Hodges (a running back) and Jakore Smith (a linebacker), had flipped from Oklahoma State, Mizzou, and Oklahoma, respectively.
Unlike Nutt, Silverfield hadn’t had previous ties to the Arkansas program. But his willingness to reach out to those tied to its past stood out as well.
“He was the first coach ever to reach out to me,” Nutt said. “I know he reached out to Coach (Ken) Hatfield, and he kind of looked back in history a little bit, and I appreciate that. And then (to) have a guy like Darren McFadden speak to his team, I think that’s huge.”
Silverfield posted a 50-35 record at Memphis. Razorbacks fans are hoping that success rubs off on their program.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
