FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — One thing new Arkansas football coach Ryan Silverfield has mentioned multiple times over the past 24 hours is how a lot of the high school players across the state whom he flipped Monday and on the Hogs’ current roster have, at some point, previously sat on his couch over at Memphis for long talks about life and football.

Razorbacks fans had the chance to do the same this past spring during an interview on the “Coaches Podcast,” although most weren’t that interested in the lightly viewed video at the time because why would they? However, there was a lot said during that interview with his former Memphis assistant and ex-Hogs lineman Brey Cook, along with his co-host Jeff Williams, to help convince Arkansas fans he’s genuinely the right guy for the job.

Silverfield addresses his honest view of some SEC jobs, why a former offensive line coach is a great fit at head coach over other positions, the actual value behind his mantra of “All In” over the typical slogans people cook up, and also how detailed he is in accountability for everyone from the coaches down to the custodial staff. His views on some of those topics will be addressed in a separate story.

He speaks Arkansas’ language

One of the first observations that stands out with Silverfield is he says and does things that will help him immediately connect with the people of Arkansas. One thing that stood out in his interview is his reference to the region as the Mid-South.

This is a moniker, once often used, that truly captured the common culture of Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana (especially the northern half), and Western Tennessee. It was built on a shared commonality of the region in food cooked in the family kitchen, canning, watching similar shows that once included regional wrestling, life in small towns with small churches and small banks, and a lifestyle that both necessitated and brought joy through hunting, fishing and growing family gardens.

It was a region that featured its own sub-capitals of Memphis, Little Rock, Monroe, Shreveport and Jackson. Culture, shopping and events such as concerts and various expos required trips to these areas and local broadcast television flowed from there as well.

It is more deeply rooted than simply saying the Southeast U.S. That region is united by a love of college football and Sunday mornings in church, but the culture in Dumas, Arkansas doesn’t align as well with Ormond Beach, Florida as it does with Petal, Mississippi or Bastrop, Louisiana.

In addition, he has a love of dogs, which connects well with pretty much any part of the state, but especially in extreme dog friendly areas like Bentonville. Not only are there multiple dog parks alongside miles of trails for walking pooches, there is also a branch of the Best Friends Animal Society, a national organization that offers no-kill animal shelters that look like bright, colorful high end malls with endless opportunities to come in and connect with dogs and cats needing homes complete with trails to take them on walks and handfuls of treats to offer while connecting with them.

One service project Silverfield offers his players as part of a way to connect with the community is through work at pet shelters like this. It’s an extension of him and his love for dogs that just happens to play well with opportunities for athletes to get out and do good deeds among the fans.

Then, of course, there is his affinity for old school wrestling. Silverfield is well versed in the greats who came from the region such as Jerry Lawler, Sid Vicious (a famous heavyweight champion from Arkansas), Koko B. Ware and the “Mouth of the South” Jimmy Hart. He gets how that weaves into the fabric of what life is like in the Mid-South to the point he recently began incorporating it into his game day experience.

“Yeah, we do a wrestling night during the season,” Silverfield said. “We did one versus North Texas this past year on a Thursday night ESPN game. They actually do live wrestling matches out there on Tiger Lane before the game. I always kind of want sneak out of the locker room and go take a peek, but it’s so unique. In fact, this year we had Jerry Lawler and Jimmy Hart … They got to spend some time with us, and did the walk with us.”

Silverfield has already addressed one complaint about the lack of recruiting of local players by landing four in-state recruits within his first 24 hours. However, another issue fans have voiced displeasure with is game day atmosphere, so test running something like wrestling matches outside Razorback Stadium prior to an early fall night game is worth trying to see if it hits with Hogs fans, adding a small bump of adrenaline before kick-off.

Finding meaning for players, mixing meaningful accountability

Another topic Silverfield addresses at length is his desire for everyone in the program, from the coordinators all the way down to the second string punter and the custodian, to have achievable goals and purpose.

One of the first things players will do is define what they want to accomplish academically, in the weight room, on the field, and in life. These can’t be vague.

Players must come up with goals that are specific and measurable and be ready to speak on them at all times in any setting.

“I can’t measure you saying I want to be an all-conference linebacker,” Silverfield said. “I can’t measure that in the spring. I can’t go out there and watch during practice … that’s a that’s not a tangible thing I can measure day in and day out. [But,] if you say, I want to catch 100 balls on the jugs machine, and I will increase my foot speed by doing extra laterals every other day, great! I can watch that and see that, right?”

He’s especially big on personal goals such as calling home every other day to check in with family, or some type of reading. Silverfield places extra emphasis on players putting down their phones and reading as it assists what the “I” is in his “All In” acronym.

In this case, it’s intelligence, which means not only reading to improve themselves off the field intellectually, but being the most intelligent team when it comes to football knowledge and also in personal spiritual growth. The list of goals are taped in each player’s locker as a constant reminder not only to the athlete, but anyone who passes that locker, that said player is responsible for making this happen.

” [Let’s say your personal goal is] I want to read a chapter of the Bible every night,” Silverfield said. “Okay, that’s great. Those are your goals. That’s what you want for yourself this spring. Okay, let’s put that in the back of the locker.
“Now what I’m gonna do is I’m gonna pull those goals in a team meeting coming up, and I’ll say, ‘Okay, Johnny, stand up. Tell us about your personal goal.’
‘Well, coach, it’s to read a chapter of the Bible every night.’
‘Okay, what’d you read last night?’
‘Well, I’m, uhh, uhh, uhh.’
‘Let’s change that goal.’
Or I’ll say, ‘Okay, what’d you read?’
‘Yeah, hey, I read John 3:16.’
‘Okay, well, tell us, tell me, [tell your] brothers, what that means.’

While coaches sometimes do things like this simply as a power move to embarrass a player or to demonstrate who is in charge, there is a personal, heart-felt meaning behind it for Silverfield.

“We go back to that word we talked about earlier, when we’re talking about being ‘All In,’” Silverfield said. “I’m gonna hold you accountable to that, not because I’m an ass, but because I love you and I care about you, I’m gonna hold you accountable. We’re gonna put in the back of locker so all your teammates, all 119 other guys, know your goals, so the rest of the program knows, the person who cleans your locker understands what you’re all about.”

The “A” in “All In” revolves around attitude. One way Silverfield handles this is by making it personal.

One of the things the men interviewing the former Memphis coach noticed immediately while touring the Tigers’ football facility is not only is there a list of goals posted in each locker, but also a photo of everything from family members to animals. This is because Silverfield requires a photo related to the players’ why to remind them for whom or what they are putting themselves through all the hard work.

“Who has made a difference in your life?” Silverfield asks his players. “And for someone, they’d say ‘Hey, I want my grandmother. She sacrificed so much. She worked two jobs. She used to drive me to Pop Warner football. She’s at every game. She watches on TV.’
“‘Awesome! Okay, cool. Well, let’s put a picture of grandmother in back of your locker so when you come in for that 6 a.m. workout, and you look in the back of the locker and your attitude isn’t what it needs to be be, you look at grandma. You say ‘I want you get my ass in gear. I can’t wait to go out there and work hard for her.’
“‘And then when you leave for the day, you look in the back of that locker. ‘You know what, that woman sacrificed so much for me. I can go to make sure I’m handling my business to where I’m supposed to, finish up my homework, make sure I’m watching the extra film, making great decisions in society.’”

The photos create talking points with players in nearby lockers, increasing personal bonds, and Silverfield calling on players to talk about their photos in meetings and at team meals also helps additional teammates get to know them and make personal connections.

Players find out if someone is adopted or an some experience they also have had. It also provides a space for players to stand up in team meals before a game to say a family member or someone from the community is there to see them for the first time and how much it would mean to go out there and do well in this specific game.

“And then we get a better understanding who we are, what we’re all about,” Silverfield said. “The guys take a lot from it. And so those are things are very, very simple that we can do that our guys are really bought into. That, I think, helps create culture.”