Arkansas Razorbacks Football: Amid the Turmoil, Hogs Display True Leadership

With the college football season just months away, the Arkansas Razorbacks are reeling. Although the Razorbacks have fired Bobby Petrino, disgusting details are still trickling out to the public bringing further disgrace to a program that is in disarray. It would be extremely easy to fold under the pressure and sleepwalk through the upcoming season, but not this team.

The Razorbacks are doing just the opposite. This team is coming together as a unit, voicing their opinions and unifying a team and a fanbase, just when they need it most. This team is loaded with leadership beginning with quarterback Tyler Wilson and they are refusing to let this team get overwhelmed by the scandal.

“We can use this as an opportunity or an excuse,” said Wilson as he rallied the team to approach the upcoming season as a challenge (via ESPN).

ESPN also quoted running back Knile Davis, another vocal leader on offense, as saying that the scandal has made this team stronger. The players are looking to one another for support and that kind of leadership is rarely found in a “me-first” atmosphere in college football.

Davis put it best when he said, “We’re going to stick together and fight.”

The Razorbacks are loaded with talent and finished last season ranked in the top five nationally. The Hogs face top rivals Alabama and LSU at Fayetteville this season and this could be the year they take the next step to becoming a permanent national powerhouse.

But before the season even starts, the Razorbacks still have plenty of obstacles to overcome.

The team is losing recruits (according to ESPN), the coaching staff is not intact and there is still a dark cloud over the University. It is nice to know that in this time of adversity, the players are leading the way and that kind of attitude can make all the difference in the near future.

Instead of hanging heads or giving up, this team is accepting the daunting challenge that lies ahead and is using it as motivation to bring pride and respect back to the forefront at the University of Arkansas.

James Brown is a B/R Featured Columnist and can be followed on Twitter here. Feel free to contact James at [e-mail]