2026 Arkansas Football Preview
Jake Wimberly
Abby Boyd Contributing-
What’s to like:
The Razorbacks have young and exciting options at quarterback, giving the offense a foundation to build around for both the present and future. If AJ Hill or KJ Jackson takes a step forward, Arkansas could become a much more dangerous team than many expected. Arkansas has added young and promising players on both sides of the ball.
They have running back Braylen Russell who, at 6’5, is a powerhouse who showed what he is capable of last year. They also have wide receivers Courtney Crutchfield and CJ Brown who were explosive last season. Linebacker Charleston Collins can be added to this list as he is one of the best pass rushers in the conference and he’s only getting started.
What’s not to like:
One of the concerns surrounding Arkansas is how the new head coach, Ryan Silverfield, will be able to adapt. With new systems, new terminology, and new expectations can create growing pains, especially early in the season. It is important to see if he will be able to win the close games and how he calls plays now that he is in the SEC.
There are also major questions about the defense that struggled last season. Allowing an average of 33.8 points given up per game is not sustainable for a team hoping to compete in the SEC. They were often unable to get off the field, gave up explosive plays, and found themselves in close games they couldn’t win.
What does the Hourglass say?
Arkansas- SEC (3-9)
Power ranking 90.87. The 3rd toughest schedule in the SEC.
2026 Arkansas Analytics
National recruiting rating (three year metric): #49- outside the boundary of a National Championship Roster.
National Coaching Ranking:
Ryan Silverfield- 42nd in Power 5 and 13th in the SEC.
2026 coaching value= 17.4 (average 2026 Power 5 coaching value= 21.93) Ryan Silverfield is ranked bottom of the pack for coaches in the Power 5.
Quarterback Play: KJ Jackson- ranked 67th in the Power 4, 14th in the SEC; 2026 QB value= 12.7 (Power 4 average-26.43).
Impact Ball Catcher Metric: Arkansas has an Impact Ball Catcher Metric of 2. This puts the Razorbacks at the lower tier for the SEC in this metric.
Final Thoughts:
Arkansas heads into 2026 with a roster that has the potential to surprise some teams in the SEC and a new head coach that is looking to prove himself. The Razorbacks have added talent through recruiting and the transfer portal, and there are reasons to believe the offense can take a step forward this season. Consistency will be the biggest challenge, but if Arkansas can put everything together, the Razorbacks should be competitive throughout the year and have a chance to return to a bowl game.
2026 Schedule analysis:
Projected Hourglass W/L record: Games in red denote games that could be a one possession game or even a different outcome than projection.
9/5/26 North Alabama- Win
9/12/26 At Utah- Loss
9/19/26 Georgia- Loss
9/26/26 Tulsa- Win
10/3/26 At Texas A&M- Loss
10/10/26 Tennessee- Loss
10/17/26 At Vanderbilt- Win
10/31/26 Missouri- Loss
11/7/26 At Auburn- Loss
11/14/26 South Carolina- Loss
11/21/26 At Texas- Loss
11/28/26 LSU- Loss
