It didn't take Ryan Mallett very long to find a new home after leaving Ann Arbor, and it's a home he nearly found himself in before choosing Michigan. Mallett grew up a fan of the Arkansas Razorbacks, attending football camps on the campus during his youth, and now he'll be playing quarterback there as well.Former five-star quarterback Ryan Mallett has left Michigan and is taking classes at the University of Arkansas today making his transfer official, according to sources close to the situation.Obviously with Rich Rodriguez taking over for Lloyd Carr at Michigan, Mallett was the odd man out in the program as he's not the type of quarterback the team will need to run Rich Rodriguez's offense. Considering that there were rumors circulating on campus that Mallett was going to transfer to Arkansas before he ever even stepped foot in Ann Arbor, his decision to go there now is hardly a surprise.
Mallett will redshirt during the 2008 season and then have three years of eligibility remaining.
Mallett had hoped to go to Arkansas after he graduated high school, but when the Razorbacks signed Mitch Mustain during his senior season, he turned his attention elsewhere and ended up at Michigan.
Other schools Mallett considered were UCLA, Tennessee, and Texas A&M.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1-15-2008 @ 11:05AM
Gamecock Man said...
Great news for Arkansas. They'll probably be mediocre next year due to the coaching transition and the fact that they're losing 90% percent of their offensive production to the NFL, but after Mallet sits out his year and Petrino gets some guys in to run his offense with, this will be a damn good team.
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1-15-2008 @ 11:39PM
nunya said...
Haha, interesting, Gamecock...I was actually going to kind of say the opposite. When Mallett starts playing, kiss chances at the SEC title goodbye, as Arkansas will NEVER beat teams like Florida and Georgia the whole time if big, bulky, immobile and inaccurate Mallett is the quarterback vs someone like Tebow and the spread offense. He just does not belong at a SEC school. Hope Arkansas has some great McFadden/Jones clones hidden somewhere...
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1-16-2008 @ 2:09PM
Gamecock Man said...
First of all, Mallet is capable of playing much better than he did at Michigan this year. He was a freshman. Second of all, while the spread has proven to be very effective, it's not the end all, be all offense that some (notably Gator fans) think it is. If you've got a mobile QB and some speedy receivers or backs that can beat people in space, that's one thing. But if you don't... well, see Florida in 2005 and 2006. On the other hand, a more traditional passing offense like the one Petrino will run can still work in the SEC if you have the right personell. See Auburn 04, Georgia over the past few years. Mallet could get Arkansas on that track.
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