Report: Arkansas hiring Deron Wilson as secondary coach under Ryan Silverfield

The Arkansas Razorbacks are hiring Deron Wilson to be the team’s new secondary coach, per Matt Zenitz. He comes to the program from Florida, where he spent the last two seasons as a defensive backs coach.

This isn’t Wilson’s first stint with Arkansas. He previously worked as the secondary coach under Sam Pittman.

This comes as Arkansas and Florida are both undergoing major coaching changes. Both Sam Pittman and Billy Napier were relieved of their duties as head coaches. As is so often the case, that is coming with nearly complete turnover of assistant coaches. New Razorbacks head coach Ryan Silverfield clearly liked having someone with familiarity with the program coming in, though, which made Deron Wilson a great fit.

In 2023, Wilson was credited with turning the Arkansas secondary around. That year, the Razorbacks ranked fourth in the SEC in passing yards allowed per game with 202.8 yards. That was their best mark in better than a decade. The team’s 12 interceptions in 2023 were third in the conference.

In 2025, Arkansas finished 102nd nationally in passing defense, giving up 239.3 yards per game. That was good for 13th in the SEC. The Razorbacks were also 104th in interceptions, snagging six on the season. That mark was 15th in the conference. For his part, Wilson is coming over from a Florida team that allowed 222.9 passing yards per game and had 10 interceptions on the season.

Those issues in the secondary weren’t the only reason why Arkansas struggled in 2025, but they didn’t help either. In the end, the Razorbacks finished 2-10 and without a win in SEC play.

Deron Wilson also has been the defensive coordinator at McNeese State and was a cornerbacks coach at UTSA, working his way up the ranks. This all came after he was a standout defensive back at Southern Miss.

Ryan Silverfield sends first message to Arkansas fans after being hired as head coach

Shortly after taking over as the head coach at Arkansas, Ryan Silverfield took to social media. There, he shared his message to Arkansas fans.

“Razorback nation, this is your new head football coach, Ryan Silverfield. Can’t wait to get to Fayetteville and get started. We’re going to bring a lot of success to the Hogs that’s so well-deserved. Can’t wait to see you,” Silverfield said. “Go hogs.”

It’s going to be a big rebuild coming up for Arkansas. Hopefully, the new staff is ready to take on that challenge.