Silverfield’s First Roster: Tracking Who’s Coming & Leaving for 2026 Arkansas Football

0
Silverfield’s First Roster: Tracking Who’s Coming & Leaving for 2026 Arkansas Football
photo credit: Craven Whitlow
Add as a preferred source on Google Smash That “Follow” Button

The offseason is officially underway for Arkansas football.

One day after an ugly loss to Missouri on a cold, rainy day in Fayetteville provided an appropriate ending to a miserable season for the Razorbacks, a new era began Sunday with the hire of Ryan Silverfield.

Among the former Memphis coach’s first tasks will be building a roster for the upcoming 2026 season, which will kick off in about nine months against North Alabama.

Thanks to a mass exodus of players, keeping up with all of the movement has been challenging the last few years. This offseason will probably be unlike any we’ve ever seen, as it’s the first time Arkansas has changed coaches since the implementation of the transfer portal.

Silverfield will likely bring players with him from his Memphis and the transfer portal will be even more active than the last few years. Best of Arkansas Sports will keep track of it all here, with the moves in one place for your convenience…

2026 Arkansas Football Roster Tracker

  • Total Projected on Roster: 111 – TARGET: 105
  • Confirmed for 2026: 92 (signees/commits + players who’ve announced their return)

According to Yahoo Sports national college football reporter Ross Dellenger, the SEC has voted to eliminate the 85-man scholarship limit. Teams in the league can now offer full scholarships to all 105 players permitted on the roster as part of the House settlement that went into effect this summer. The SEC opted to stick with 85 scholarships in 2025.

Now, the biggest roster-related question looming is whether or not the Designated Student-Athletes (DSAs) from last year will carry over to 2026. Those players, mostly walk-ons, were grandfathered in after the House settlement and allowed teams to go over the 105-man limit. That’s how Arkansas had 115 players this season. If they continue into next year, that 105-man limit will once again be a soft cap the Razorbacks could potentially exceed.

There are also lingering eligibility questions. While almost all “super seniors” with extra eligibility from the 2020 pandemic-altered season have cycled through, there are still a few potential decisions to make amongst the current Razorbacks.

A couple of seniors (AJ Green and Quentavius Scandrett) dealt with injuries throughout the season and might be eligible for a medical redshirt. Justus Boone might be able to get a medical redshirt for his 2023 season, as well.

It’s also unknown if the Diego Pavia rule will be adopted moving forward. As it’s currently written, it was just a one-year exemption for former JUCO players. However, the Vanderbilt quarterback is still going through the legal process. If approved permanently, defensive linemen Keyshawn Blackstock and Danny Saili, plus long snapper Ashton Ngo, could get additional eligibility. (Perhaps defensive lineman Frank Mulipola could, as well, but he’s already a seventh-year senior.)

For now, those seven players are not projected to be part of the 2026 roster. If they make an announcement, they’ll be moved accordingly.

*walk-on (or at least a walk-on in 2025 — status unclear with increased scholarships)
^newcomer (via high school, JUCO or portal)
Players in BOLD have indicated that they plan to return (also includes signees)

Author

  • Hailing from Springdale, Andrew Hutchinson graduated from the University of Arkansas with a journalism degree in 2016. While he played baseball, basketball, football and ran track growing up, he quickly realized he lacked the size and athleticism to play anything beyond high school and shifted gears to stay involved with sports. Starting his career covering the Razorbacks with The Traveler while in college, Hutchinson has also worked for the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Hawgs Illustrated, WholeHogSports, 247Sports, HawgBeat/Rivals and now BoAS, where he’s been the managing editor since the summer of 2022. In 2020, he was named the Arkansas Sportswriter of the Year by the NSMA. When he’s not writing, Hutchinson is spending time with his wife, Marley, and two daughters.

No posts to display