FAYETTEVILLE — Monday afternoon, Ryan Silverfield shared that he had all the confidence in the world in offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey.

That might be just him taking up for his loyal coaching companion or just covering up the ruts they've caused down Interstate 49 because the offense's axle is dragging while riding on the rims.

The job of a head coach is to put his team in the best situation to win games, and they aren't going to do that by allowing Cramsey to continue calling plays. But if we are looking for anyone on the Arkansas coaching staff or athletic department to take any accountability for the product that's put on the field every single week, then you might want to re-evaluate your thought process.

When asked Monday whether an in-season staff shakeup was possible, Silverfield didn't exactly rule anything out. The Razorbacks' offense ranks No. 125 nationally in scoring offense, averaging 19.6 points per game, which is last among SEC and Power Conference teams

"I think it's my job to always put our program in the best position to have success, and no matter what that looks like, right?" Silverfield said. "Whether it's an in-season staff shakeup, a postseason staff shakeup, a change in nutrition plan, a change of travel plans, it's always my job to make sure that whatever we're doing, it's putting our guys in the best position to have success between the white lines on Saturday."

Now, in Silverfield's defense, he didn't completely rule out an in-season coaching change because he evaluates every single thing that happens under his watch.

But that's hard to defend when a coach who promised to build the most disciplined team in college football watches his players commit four turnovers and pile up second-half penalties.

While all those words during talkin' season sounds nice and promising, seeing the exact opposite play out almost every single week almost forces his hand. If he genuinely believes what's going on offensively, then there's an uncomfortable conversation to be had about the direction of Arkansas' offense.

Dispelling The "Give Him Time To Get His Own Players"

One of the most common arguments made in defense of first-year coaches is that they deserve time to bring in their own players before being judged too harshly. That was the old way of thinking when college football was all about recruiting and development, but it's all about NIL and the transfer portal, now, which has made easier than ever before to flip a roster and become competitive immediately.

Just take a look at what first-year coaches around the country are doing such as Bob Chesney (UCLA), Will Stein (Kentucky), Jon Sumrall (Florida), James Franklin (Virginia Tech), Pete Golding (Ole Miss), Alex Golesh (Auburn) and several others.

This is their team. Silverfield and Cramsey had an opportunity to evaluate the roster they inherited, identify weaknesses and bring in players who fit their offensive philosophy. The biggest problem is those decisions haven't quite produced results.

The argument can be had that Arkansas doesn't have the same resources as many of the first-year coaches around the country, which is far from the truth. Outside of LSU, Ole Miss and maybe Virginia Tech were probably able to afford shopping at the Louis Vuitton.

But having a smaller budget doesn't mean you can't evaluate steals at the Tanger Outlet Mall either. It all comes down to how coaches evaluate the talent available to them, or an inability to maximize what talent they have in place.

Former Alabama coach Nick Saban once made a strong point about roster building in this era. said, "You guys keep talking about a $20 million roster, if you don't pay the right guys, you'll be s--t out of luck."

And that's what is particularly frustrating about the place Arkansas is in right now because it's quite evident by the product on the field doesn't quite match every other first-year staff.

For a group of coaches who pride themselves on developing a scheme that matches their talent, that's probably been the biggest disappointment of all at this point of the season.

Why Give A Coach Autonomy If They Can't Evaluate?

Silverfield explained that everyone involved in the program has some type of influence on what the gameplan will look like every Saturday.

"Any time you’re looking at a play caller, whether it’s offense, defense or special teams, throughout the week, we’re all involved with the offensive game plan," Silverfield said. "'Hey, what are our thoughts on the run game? What are our thoughts on the pass game? Getting the different coaches that are involved with that.'

"The offensive line coaches aren’t talking as much in the pass game, but they are talking about protections. Every coach is involved in those and we’re all part of the practice plan, getting it together and all that stuff."

It's a standard operating procedure across college football that suggestions are considered throughout the from assistants to help finalize how a team will attack. That's no different at Arkansas.

"That ultimately creates the call sheet on Saturday. But in-game, for the most part, Tim is calling it.," Silverfield said. "We’ll talk through some certain things, we’ll sit there and say, ‘Okay, hey, this run may work versus this. We’re getting this, we’ve got to go to that. This check needs to occur.’"

But what happens when calls continue to be made that receive the same end result? If failure is seen nearly 90% of the time then there needs to be a time set aside to reassess what they are assigning each player on the field to do.

"Having that conversation...sometimes it's on the quarterback to be able to put us in the right situation," SIlverfield continued. "'Hey, if we get in this look, we need to check to this. If we're getting this, we need to copy this protection.' Cramsey has done a great job in the past and will continue to do a good job of putting us in the right position throughout.

"Now, sometimes our suggestions, 'Hey, this is the call we need to make. Whether it's even the first short-yards call, what do we like vs. this? What are they going to show? And so, but great faith in what he's going to do and what he is doing. But ultimately, he's got the ability to call the play and put us in the right situation."

If Silverfield and the rest of his offensive staff are actively involved in developing the game plan, the head coach can't completely separate himself from the results. It's his ultimate responsibility as the CEO of the team to override others responsibilities, which is why Cramsey's offensive autonomy should be questioned.

Because Silverfield chose to bring Cramsey with him from Memphis due to their familiarity and previous success together over the past five years. There was most certainly an established level of trust between the two and that's credible given they went 29-6 in a 2.5 year stretch from 2023-2025.

However, familiarity and comfort don't automatically translate into success at the next stop. That's why Silverfield continues to field hard-hitting questions in his postgame and weekly press conferences.

Everyone outside of the four walls of the football program deserve answers.

Top boosters, the average fan, and every media member want to know why they are watching another re-run of "Ridiculousness" every Saturday.

Don't Expect An In-Season Change

With four games left in the regular season, Silverfield's vote of confidence towards Cramsey suggests he is content to ride this thing out to the end without making a change at a coordinator spot.

Unless something drastically changes, the Hogs' offensive coordinator will likely finish the season calling plays and that's a decision the head coach will have to live with.

The bigger question is whether Silverfield will maintain that same confidence when it's time for the end-of-season evaluation period about where the program is headed in 2027.

He needs to give fans a reason for optimism moving forward. If nothing changes, there's a pretty good chance everyone already knows where this program is headed.

The college football basement with no exit.