Hysterical 'Protest' Breaks Out At Arkansas After Razorbacks Announce Hiring Of New Head Coach

It's impossible to please everyone when making head coaching hires, especially when we're talking about an SEC program, and the situation unfolding in Fayetteville with Arkansas introducing Ryan Silverfield as its next coach is the latest case in point.

As OutKick's Trey Wallace previously reported, Razorbacks athletic director Hunter Yurachek had his sights set on hiring Alex Golesh away from South Florida. After discussions fell through, and Auburn became the front-runner for Golesh's signature, Silverfield's name was circled.

Silverfield posted a 50-24 record during his six seasons as the head coach at Memphis. While his 50 wins are 18 more than Arkansas earned over the same period with Sam Pittman at the helm, some Razorback fans aren't exactly thrilled with the hiring of Silverfield.

A couple of dozen Arkansas fans showed up on campus on Sunday afternoon to protest the Silverfield hiring while voicing frustration with Yuracheck. Three fans sported paper bags over their heads while holding up signs, with the funniest one simply reading, "God Save Arkansas."

While Yuracheck may not be the most beloved person in the state of Arkansas at the moment, Razorback fans do have to appreciate his optimism and transparency about a financial boost into the football program in the announcement of Silverfield's hiring.

"It became clear during our conversations that Coach Silverfield shares our vision of making the College Football Playoffs and competing for a national championship," Yurachek said in the statement. "With our new and significant financial investment in the football program, we are confident we now have the coach and resources to make that happen. Throughout the search process, Coach Silverfield’s proven ability to win games over a sustained period separated him from the pack and make him the right choice to be our next head football coach."

Arkansas is among the most interesting Power Four football programs out there, with corporate (most notably Walmart) and alumni (most notably Jerry Jones) being closely knit to the athletic department as a whole. The Hogs invest plenty of money into their men's basketball and baseball programs, while the football program has seemingly been an afterthought over the last few seasons.