FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas football’s first coaching staff under Ryan Silverfield is complete, according to a post from the team’s ‘X’ account on Friday, Dec. 19.
The Razorbacks announced the hirings of defensive line coach Kynjee’ Cotton, offensive line coach Marcus Johnson, quarterbacks coach Clint Trickett and secondary coach Deron Wilson. Additionally, the program confirmed that tight ends coach Morgan Turner would be retained. Sam Pittman hired Turner prior to the 2023 season.
Cotton will also receive the label of defensive run game coordinator. He is the second defensive line coach on staff, joining Marion Hobby, who was announced on Thursday.
Cotton comes to Arkansas after spending the last two seasons with the Miami Dolphins as the assistant defensive line coach. His two seasons in the NFL came after more than a decade of coaching in the collegiate ranks. He brings SEC experience, having spent the 2023 season at LSU as a senior defensive analyst and a year as a strength and conditioning assistant at Alabama in 2013.
Wilson will also be the co-defensive coordinator and is returning to Arkansas after spending the 2023-24 seasons on Pittman’s staff. He moved to Florida where he worked under new Arkansas defensive coordinator Ron Roberts in 2025. Under Wilson in 2024, Arkansas was fourth in the league in passing yards allowed per game (202.8 ypg) and ranked third with 12 interceptions, including four pick-sixes that tied for the national lead.
Johnson is no stranger to the SEC, having played at Ole Miss with coaching stops at Mississippi State and Missouri on his resume. He spent the 2025 season with Ohio State as the program’s assistant offensive line coach. Arkansas will also have two offensive line coaches, with Jeff Myers following Silverfield from Memphis to Arkansas.
Trickett takes over the Arkansas quarterbacks after spending the 2025 season as the offensive coordinator at Jacksonville State. The Gamecocks went 9-5 mark with a Salute to Veterans Bowl victory.
The former Florida State and West Viriginia quarterback led one of the best offenses in Conference USA, averaging 408.7 yards per game to rank third in the league and scoring 28.1 points per game to rank fifth.
Turner will be in his fourth season at Arkansas. He’s been one of the strongest talent identifiers and recruiters in recent years, brining names like Luke Hasz, Rohan Jones and Jaden Platt to Fayetteville. Jones paired with Platt to catch 40 passes for 815 yards and eight touchdowns in 2025.
Arkansas football’s 2025 coaching staff
- Head coach – Ryan Silverfield
- Offensive coordinator – Tim Cramsey
- Defensive coordinator/inside linebackers coach – Ron Roberts
- Special teams coordinator – Chad Lunsford
- Quarterbacks coach – Clint Trickett
- Running backs coach – David Johnson
- Wide receivers coach – Larry Smith
- Tight ends coach – Morgan Turner
- Offensive line coach/run game coordinator – Jeff Myers
- Offensive line coach – Marcus Johnson
- Defensive line coach – Marion Hobby
- Defensive line coach/defensive run game coordinator – Kynjee’ Cotton
- Cornerbacks coach – Eddie Hicks
- Co-Defensive coordinator/secondary coach – Deron Wilson
- Head strength and conditioning coach – Noah Franklin
Jackson Fuller covers Arkansas football, basketball and baseball for the Southwest Times Record, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at jfuller@usatodayco.com or follow him @jacksonfuller16 on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Arkansas football finalizes Ryan Silverfield’s first coaching staff
