Wrap it up: Notables from Arkansas' day at the podium

Here are a few notes from Arkansas’ appearance at SEC Media Days. Tom Murphy and Bob Holt will expound on these items and more starting tomorrow in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, so make sure to check out our coverage in the print edition.

— Rogue agents and their affect on players in the SEC was still a hot topic. I talked to tight end D.J. Williams at length about the issues, and I plan to have something on that later this weekend. The gist of the conversation? Williams, who was contemplating joining the pros in December, stays as far away as he can from agents. His mother may get a couple of calls, but she makes sure to ignore them.

What’s really helped Arkansas in dealing with “rogue agents” was the SEC bringing on Joe Mendes as a consultant, Williams and defensive end Jake Bequette said.

Mendes is used “to help provide the kind of information and knowledge that our student-athletes need to make good decisions about their future,” SEC Commissioner Mike Slive said Wednesday. “And to do it the right way and not in violation of NCAA rules.”

Williams can understand players from tough backgrounds being tempted to accept gifts from agents, but he assured the media he has never done such a thing and the Razorbacks are in the clear from joining Florida, South Carolina, Alabama and Georgia amid the fray of NCAA inquiries and other investigations.

— Bobby Petrino’s son, Nick Petrino, is no longer on the Arkansas roster. The quarterback is focusing on his coaching career, but Petrino did not offer much else in the way of an explanation for his departure when chatting with a few members of the media after his question-and-answer session Thursday morning. Also confirmed as no longer on the roster was fullback Mitchell Bailey, who has apparently transferred to Louisiana-Monroe.

— Ryan Mallett has filed paperwork for an insurance policy to protect his body in case an injury derails his potential NFL career.

I reported in April that he had filed his paperwork for the policy, but he had no further details when I chatted with him then. The quarterback did not have much more in the way of details Thursday, either.

“I really didn’t have a lot to do with it except signing my name and filling out a bunch of forms,” Mallett said.

— Bequette apparently showed off his talents Thursday by doing an impression of Coach Bobby Petrino for ESPN’s cameras.

I don’t know if I would have done that, but I’m also not the one who might have to run more at practice this August.

Then again, maybe Petrino will like the impression.

“Kudos to Arkansas DE Jake Bequette who looked directly into our camera and gave a spot-on impression of Head Coach Bobby Petrino. Well done!” tweeted ESPN’s Cara Capuano.

You may remember cornerback Isaac Madison doing a Petrino impression at a Razorback luncheon last August.

— Is Mallett approaching this season as his last at Arkansas?

“No, I’m not,” Mallett said, despite the widespread belief that he is NFL ready. “I still have two years of eligibility left. I’m an Arkansas Razorback.”

Don’t read too much into Mallett’s words. That doesn’t mean he’ll sit back and enjoy Fayetteville much longer.

“If I have a chance to play in the NFL, when that time comes, we’ll see,” Mallett said. “Right now I have two years left to play college football and I’m going to enjoy it.”

— Oh, and Mallett was bootless Thursday morning.

Five months is apparently the endgame for Mallett’s long recovery, which included two surgeries, from a broken left foot. He’s still not 100 percent, but he was walking the floors of the Wynfrey Hotel without a protective boot Thursday.

You can read more about Mallett’s performance at media days, including the Razorbacks addressing high expectations, in my free column on WholeHogSports.com.

DAY 2 WRAP

— Mallett Time: Arkansas QB impresses, discusses expectations (Commentary)
— Raw video: Mallett addresses media
— Live Blog: Bobby Petrino addresses media
— Ryan Mallett’s SEC media days transcript (PDF)
— Bobby Petrino’s SEC media days transcript (PDF)

Make sure to check out WholeHogSports.com and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for more coverage. You can also follow us on Twitter for breaking news updates with @bmarcello and @wholehogsports.

— Brandon Marcello