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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas faces North Alabama for the first time in program history at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium to begin the Ryan Silverfield era.
Kickoff between the Razorbacks and the Lions is set for 3:15 p.m. Saturday, September 5 on the SEC Network with Dave Neal (play-by-play), Cole Cubelic (analyst) and Tori Petry (sideline reporter) on the call. As Arkansas begins its 133rd football season, Ryan Silverfield begins his tenure in Fayetteville as the Razorbacks’ 34th head coach in program history. Next up is a trip to Salt Lake City for their first ever matchup against Utah on September 13.
Schedule:
North Alabama at Arkansas – 3:15 p.m. – SEC Network
Tune In:
Saturday afternoon’s matchup between Arkansas and Alabama will stream on SEC Network with Dave Neal (play-by-play), Cole Cubelic (analyst) and Tori Petry (sideline reporter) in the broadcast booth. The game can also be heard on the Razorback Sports Network from Learfield including locally in Fayetteville on 92.1 FM or through the Razorback app, with Chuck Barrett (play-by-play), Quinn Grovey (analyst) and Geno Bell (sideline reporter) on the call from inside Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
Notes:
Ryan Silverfield, one of the nation’s winningest coaches over the last three seasons, was named the 35th head coach of the Razorbacks on Nov. 30, 2025. Silverfield arrives in Fayetteville after spending a decade at Memphis, where he led the Tigers to a 50-25 overall record as head coach from 2020-2025. In 2023 and 2024, his team won double-digit games and they reached bowl games in all six seasons as head coach.
QB KJ Jackson will lead the Arkansas offense into the 2026 season after winning the starting quarterback job in fall camp. The Montgomery, Ala., native appeared in five games last year and completed 33-of-54 passes (61.1%) for 441 yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions). Jackson made the first start of his collegiate career in last season’s finale against Missouri where he completed 11-of-17 passes for 126 yards and a touchdown. Jackson also saw action against Alabama A&M, Arkansas State, Texas A&M and Texas. He will become the first left-handed Razorback quarterback to start a season opener since Barry Lunney Jr. in 1995.
RB Sutton Smith, a transfer that followed Silverfield from Memphis, is expected to pace the Razorbacks’ rushing attack alongside Braylen Russell. The Marietta, Ga. native will attempt to build upon his breakout 2025 campaign, in which he carried the ball 102 times for 669 yards and seven touchdowns with the Tigers.
WR Chris Marshall, a Boise State Transfer, is expected to have a great season in the receiving game. The Missouri City, Texas, native is expected to be the Razorbacks’ top pass catcher after he had 30 receptions for 574 yards and two scores with the Broncos last year.
DL Quincy Rhodes Jr. enters the 2026 seasons on the watch list for the Chuck Bednarik Award after leading Arkansas in both tackles for loss and (15.5) and sacks (8.0) last season. The North Little Rock native’s 15.5 tackles for loss, which was the third most among SEC defenders last year, were the most by an Arkansas defender in a season since DL Trey Flowers (15.5) in 2015.
Brent Dearmon, the North Alabama head coach, will lead the Lions into Fayetteville on Saturday afternoon. Dearmon’s career record as a head coach is 19-28 in five seasons and 9-27 as the head coach at UNA over four seasons. Dearmon’s team defeated Samford to open the season, 22-10, helping North Alabama to a 1-0 record entering their week 1 matchup against Arkansas.
QB Destin Wade, the signal-caller for North Alabama, played previously at two Power 4 institutions, first at Kentucky in 2023 and at Colorado in 2024. Wade redshirted for the Wildcats and led the practice squad. Then, the Spring Hill, Tenn. native saw action in one game for the Buffaloes against Arizona. Wade completed 13-of-19 passes of 229 yards and a touchdown in the Lions’ victory against Samford last Saturday.
RB Jalen Fletcher is the top running back for North Alabama. After winning UAC Freshman of the Week three times, playing in all 12 games and starting one against Central Arkansas in 2024, Fletcher redshirted in sophomore season in 2025. Before deciding to redshirt, the Trinity, Ala. native rushed 20 times for 75 yards and a touchdown, averaging 3.8 yards a carry. He also had one reception for three yards. Fletcher carried the ball 11 times for 79 yards against Samford to open the 2026 season.
WR Xavier Johnson leads the Lions at wide receiver. Johnson began his career for Memphis, redshirting for Ryan Silverfield’s team a season ago before deciding to transfer to North Alabama. The Fort Worth, Texas native was a consensus three-star recruit who caught 58 passes for 1,349 yards and 15 touchdowns during his senior season at Richland High School. Johnson caught five passes for 129 yards and a score against Samford last weekend.
DL Cayden Adkins is a big part of the North Alabama defense on the line. Adkins began his college career at Georgia State in 2025 where he saw action in 11 games. The Elba, Ala. native recorded five tackles with one tackle for loss for Panthers. He transferred to North Alabama in the off-season. Adkins got five tackles and two sacks to lead the Lions defense against Samford.
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