What John Calipari said about new Arkansas football coach Ryan Silverfield

FAYETTEVILLE — When Arkansas football announced Ryan Silverfield as its next head coach, John Calipari hit up some old friends.

Silverfield spent the last decade at Memphis, where Calipari went nine yeas as the Tigers' basketball coach. Now, they're both Razorbacks, and Calipari reached out to his Memphis contacts this weekend wanting the scoop on Silverfield.

Calipari shared the story during his weekly radio show from Sassy's Red House in Fayetteville on Monday, Dec. 2. Calipari said that he called his "buddies in Memphis" who would know Silverfield to get the scouting report on his personality.

"I don't know much about football, okay, but I wanted to know, is he a good guy? And they came back and they all were glowing about him," Calipari said. "They said he's a worker. He's a grinder. He is a terrific person, and then, I'm hearing they're like top-20 offense every year."

Calipari and Silverfield both made history at Memphis. Calipari led the Tigers to their second Final Four and the most wins in program history in 2007-08. Silverfield gave Memphis consecutive 10-win seasons for the first time from 2023-24.

The two coaches met on Sunday, Nov. 30. Hogs+ social media pages shared a video of their introduction during Silverfield's arrival on campus.

Calipari echoed what he told Silverfield in-person to the crowd at Sassy's.

"I told him, 'I'm here for you'. Whatever you need from me, however I can help you. I heard he flipped a few recruits already. Let's give him a hand," Calipari said. "That's what I'm talking about. And you know, I think he's going to do a great job, and I'm happy that I can help, if I can. Whatever I can do, I'll be there."

Silverfield landed four in-state recruits during his first day as the Hogs' head coach.

He will hold his first press conference and be introduced during a public celebration later this week, but Arkansas also plans to unveil Silverfield during the next home basketball game. The No. 23 Razorbacks (5-2) host No. 6 Louisville (7-0) on Wednesday, Dec. 3 in the ACC-SEC Challenge.

Jackson Fuller covers Arkansas football, basketball and baseball for the Southwest Times Record, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at [email protected] or follow him @jacksonfuller16 on X, formerly known as Twitter. 

This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: What John Calipari said about new Arkansas football coach Ryan Silverfield