Arkansas Razorbacks head coach Ryan Silverfield has a big task ahead of him.
The SEC is as tough as ever, with the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners having joined the conference not too long ago. The rest of the college football world has also found even footing because of NIL and the transfer portal.
Just being Arkansas and part of the SEC is no longer good enough on the recruiting trail. Still, Silverfield and the new Razorbacks staff will need to do everything they can to find success early via recruiting if they have any hope of improving on the lackluster Sam Pittman era.
The good news for Arkansas is that Silverfield, 45, is making inroads on the recruiting trail.
Arkansas’ latest addition is three-star defensive lineman James Stewart from Murfreesboro, Tenn., who chose the Razorbacks over Colorado, Illinois, Memphis, Maryland, Tulane and Boston College.
Three-star DL James Stewart believes in Ryan Silverfield and Arkansas Razorbacks
Silverfield was a major reason why he committed to Arkansas.
“I feel like he will turn things around, and it’s a ship I want to be a part of,” Stewart said of Arkansas’ new head coach, according to Rivals.
Of course, assistants usually play big roles on the recruiting trail, and it was no different in the case of Stewart. Landius Wilkerson followed Silverfield from Tulane to Arkansas and he’s the Razorbacks’ new defensive line coach. He had recruited Stewart for Tulane, but that relationship carried over to Arkansas.
“Coach Wilk is the biggest reason I committed,” Stewart said. “I feel like he’ll be the difference between me maxing out my potential and me just being a good football player.”
According to the 247Sports Composite, Stewart is the No. 99 defensive line recruit in the country. He’s the 15th commitment to Silverfield’s 2027 class.
