FAYETTEVILLE - Speaking to a group of lawmakers at the state capitol Wednesday, Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino joked there will be no politics involved when deciding a new starting quarterback this spring.
Whether it’s Tyler Wilson, Brandon Mitchell or Jacoby Walker, Petrino said the Razorbacks’ top signal caller will have to earn it on the field.
“We all saw Tyler Wilson do some great things when he came in that Auburn game, but I can tell you this, there is going to be some great competition for that quarterback spot in the spring,” Petrino said. “We all know we’re down here because of politics, politicians and everything that happens here in the state capitol, but there will be zero politics on that football field for that quarterback job.
“We have no politics for the starting lineup. They get to go out every day and show they’re better than the guy they’re going up against.”
Wilson is thought to be the leading candidate going into the spring. As a redshirt sophomore in 2010, Wilson saw playing time in six games.
The most notable performance for the Greenwood native was at Auburn, when he finished the game with 332 passing yards and four touchdowns after Ryan Mallett went down with a concussion in the second quarter.
Mitchell played only two series at quarterback last season in the opener against Tennessee Tech. Walker redshirted after tearing his ACL in the spring game last April.
Speaking as part of Razorback Day in Little Rock, Petrino said the Razorbacks began their morning workouts on Wednesday with a weight-lifting session at 5:30 a.m. Arkansas begins spring practices March 15.
Petrino, who signed a long-term contract extension with unprecedented mutual buyout numbers in December, said he couldn’t be happier heading into his fourth season as the Razorbacks head coach. Arkansas finished with its first-ever BCS bid last season, losing to Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl.
“I want you to know I’m very proud to be the head coach of the University of Arkansas,” Petrino said. “This is my home and my family’s home. We’re really happy to be here.”
Petrino was joined at the annual event by UA chancellor David Gearhart, athletics director Jeff Long and members of the UA Board of Trustees.
VIDEO: RAZORBACK DAY WITH BOBBY PETRINO
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Man, it’s hard not to love this guy. Good luck to Tyler, Brandon and Jacoby this spring. Be it a junior or senior, regardless, whoever is talented enough to win a starting nod at quarterback in Petrino and McGee’s offense will eventually play at the next level. Go Hogs!
Can’t wait to see it play out. My bet is that Mitchell and Walker both give Wilson a run for the starting job.
hate to be a downer, but I can pretty much guarantee it won’t be a senior…
Tyler will win it running away and light up the stat books and scoreboards for the next two years before going to the NFL. Then Zeke Pike will take over as a Sophomore and start for 3 years, breaking every record in the book throwing the ball to Beckham-Green.
I think Tyler Wilson could beat out any senior transfer this fall with his experience with the petrino offense.
I personnaly thought Brandon Mitchell should have had at least one series in every game this past season running the true pistol offense we will be using this coming season. Just think how effective our offense would have been against SEC defenses which had to devote practice time o prepare for Pro-Style and Pistol Offenses.
Don’t forget that Brandon Mitchell threw a perfectly placed TD bomb to one of our butter fingered freshman receivers who dropped the ball similar to sloppy Sugar Bowl performance by receivers.
Branden Mitchell is the most talentled, but coaches, and Patrino is no exception, go with the guy they have the most confidence in and that would be Tyler Wilson. Tyler would have to play himself out of the starting job, and I don’t see that happening.
My son went to Texas High with Ryan Mallet… he was thrown in as a starter in a 4A playoff game in 03….The senior QB was thown off the team the morning of the game after a joint was found in his ashtray in the school parking inlot..Ryan threw an interception to end the game…In 04 as a sophmore he faced ENNIS in the playoffs against Graham Harrel (Texas Tech)…..also ended the season with an interception…..As a junior a in 05 gainst Dallas Highland Park and Matthew Stafford {Detroit
Lions)……..Ryan ended his season with an interception in the playoffs……
In his coveted senior season in 06….His high school career in the playoffs against Copperas Cove and Robert Griffin (Baylor)……with an interceprion……….
So it was in the cards for 6″7 QB ….who resembles Herman Munster when he scrambles to chunk an INT….to finish out college…..and replace Brett Favre who made last minute wounded ducks an artform….
When Ryan would play out of town…..I’d stay in
Texarkana and go watch Liberty Eylau High and their running back….LaMichael James (Oregon
I hoope hes great like Ryam Mallett (AKA) The Legend but, i love the Mallett and it still takes a Mallett to crack a Buckeye thats very true. Oh, and see you next playing in the NFL Ryan Mallett lif Tim Tebow and Sam Bradford can you can also and i do think you will become just as good as any of them so go get it.Go Ryan Mallett!!! While on the other hand tyou Tyler Wilson i think you are headed for a BCS Bowl win, a Perfect season not that Ryan Mallett could not do it beacuse he had amazing power to do so, and a chance to WIN the Heisman. I love the hogs and hope to see them beat the Texas Longhorns somewhere in the future they need a pay back bigtime so GO HOGS GO!!!
As the biggest Hogfan north of the Mason-Dixon, living in OHIO, I have to say that knowing what I know about Petrino, whoever he selects will be the best choice. I also have to say that for all the talent and ability Ryan has, he is sorely lacking in late-game heroics. He was a big reason for the losses to both Alabama and Ohio State. If he could have cut down on the INT’s, who knows what might have been. GO HOGS!
I respectfully disagree Mark. Yes, the Ohio State game could have ended with a W if the int wasn’t thrown. But in all honesty, the game should have been decided long before that int. Sure, Mallett needs to work on keeping his cool, but the receivers are the ones that really let us down. I mean, the first play of the game should have been a TD. And even the play just before the int was a dropped ball by a receiver. So, you could argue that the pass that ended the game shouldn’t have needed to be thrown at all.
Truth Kenneth. Ryan threw a lot of great passes in the Sugar Bowl that were dropped. You don’t set records being average.
Last spring the competition was about the running backs…this spring, the QBs. Can’t wait!
I can’t remember the last time that I felt this good about Arkansas’s depth. Seriously, I’m just as confident with Mitchell or Walker in the game as I am with Wilson. Then again, that may be because Knile Davis is in our backfield. I might be able to quarterback us to 10 wins if I’m handing off to that guy!
And we’ve get Dennis Johnson back. And Greg Childs. We expect the defense to take another step up again this year. Should be interesting in SEC West next season.
There will be a lot of surprised hog fans next fall when Jacoby Walker emerges as the starter. They’ve all got their strengths and weakness but Walker has the best combination of skills, or skill set, of the bunch. Take it to the bank.
I am also excited and read my Razorback sports everyday in Greenville, NC. Next year you will see alot harder running from Green. I loved it when coach ran, ran and ran him until he got a touchdown and his tongue was dragging the ground and bent over in the huddle. He had the determination to do it. Knile Davis did a great job for us but also remember that Dennis will be back and I can imagine he will run with a vengeance.I have alot of confidence in our QB and receivers. I know this will be a very exciting season and I really look forward to reading about spring ball. Great job to all the coaches.
Green graduated, but I understood what you meant. The best drives we had were the ones where the RB would take off for 10-15 yards at a time and then we hit the WRs with a play-action pass.
Don’t forget about Ronnie Wingo either. I think we have more depth at the skill positions (QB, RB, WR/TE) than Arkansas has ever had. If the OL and defense can do there job next year, we will be right in the thick of the SEC race. If we were in any other league/division in the country, we would dominate every game.
Mark my words write it down and put the house on it tyler wilson will be our starting qb next year he might not have the arm strength as ryan but he shows a lot more passion when he takes snaps he was more fired up in the auburn game that ryan was all year
TD Hogfan,
B. Green didn’t graduate. He was a junior in 2010 so he will be back.
Great talking about football and the excitment next year is already bringing !!
There will be great competition at QB between three excellent players. The two places where we need to find winners though are offensive line and linebacker.
Jacoby Walker will win the job. Wilson is the best passer, Mitchell the best runner. Walker is the best at play action, however, as well as the best decision maker and improviser when things break down, or as Achebe put it, when “Things Fall Apart”. Walker, Texas Ranger, we’re riding with you in 2011.
What makes any of you think that Mitchell or Walker are going to beat out Tyler Wilson? It’s the same reason that Wilson didn’t beat out Ryan Mallett. Tyler Wilson is further ahead than the other guys. Tyler will be playing his 4th year in Petrino’s offense. He knows the plays, the checkdowns, and he can read the defenses (and he can handle snaps under center now). Tyler Wilson is about to get some national attention.
No way Brandon Mitchell doesn’t win this job. The kid just has too much freakin’ talent running and throwing the ball. Can you imagine this kid running the pistol with Knile Davis and Dennis Johnson in the backfield? Bet.
How can anyone make a serious argument about Walker beating out Wilson? I believe Walker is talented no doubt, but we do not even know what he will look like as a college qb yet, because he has not even taken a snap. Wilson on the other hand has experience in the SEC and has done very well. Plus, he knows the playbook inside and out by now. Wilson will be our man unless he gets hurt of course.
The post-spring depth chart will be filled with “ors”. The QB position will say Tyler Wilson or Brandon Mitchell or Jacoby Walker. The starter won’t be decided until the fall.
For the first time in YEARS I am totally confident in our coaching staff. I suspect that Wilson will emerge as the man but, if he doesn’t, so be it. CBP knows what he is doing and, considering we haven’t seen this in years from a head coach, I am excited. GO HOGS!
For the last time Ryan Mallett is not from Texas if he was he would have been born in Texas but, he was not. He was born in Texarkana,Arkansas and he went to High School in Texarkana,Texas therefore he is from Arkansas.
Actually he was born in Batesville, Arkansas.
Brandon Mitchell is for real, I see him beating Wilson out. He is very accurate, I watch his highlight tape
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nu-Qsks9OE&feature=related .. He is a real QB, and highly recruited. The only reason he did not transfer this season is because Mallet went to the NFL
I want to see big tex get the ball!
Have you ladies absorbed your beating by the BUCKEYES as of yet.
Porkfritter,i think Brandon or Jacoby could very possibly beat out Tyler,it all depends on how Tyler stacks up against the first team Defense,its going to be the best and fastest defense the Hogs have had under Willy,if he looks real good against them,the job may very well be his,if he is running for his life,but with the O Linemen we have i dont see that,but still beleive this,Brandon Mitchell and Jacoby Walker will be breathing down his neck,and who knows what Brandon Allen is going to bring to the table,if Tyler does it against the first team defense in spring practice,his stock goes up,if its against the second team defense that he looks good,i hope Brandon or Jacoby wins out.
Buckeyenutt,have your drawers broke loose from your rearend,after almost watching your Buckeyes almost get beat in the last two mintues of the Sugar Bowl.
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