I fall on the side of those who aren't so crazy about the Bobby Petrino hire.
My personal take is that Petrino is very much an unproven commodity. While he might fit at Arkansas, I don't like his prospects in the SEC as a whole.
Here are my doubts...
1. The SEC is a defense FIRST league; Petrino is an offense ONLY coach.
Did Petrino ever have even a GOOD defense at Louisville?
No—just one good enough to make the occasional stop against weak Big East competition.
When the Cardinals played WVU the score was up near the 50s on both sides. Is that a sign of great offense or bad defense?
BOTH.
2. The Big East looks much stronger now than it did just a few years ago.
Today, the Big East is college football's new hot conference, with Cincinnati and USF emerging as powerhouses and even UConn and Pitt on the rise.
When Petrino was at Lousiville, though, those up-and-comers were still floundering. The point: The coach never excelled against tough competition.
3. What does it say that Petrino made the move to Arkansas just when he was in prime position to draft Brian Brohm—HIS man—next year?
The Falcons are due for a high draft pick, which they could have used to draft Petrino's former Louisville protégé. One draft projection I read even led with a picture of Petrino and a headline along the lines of "Reunited."
So what gives? Why would the coach bail on his boy?
4. Petrino's an unproven recruiter.
Consider Petrino's Lousiville recruiting classes (according to Rivals.com):2006: 34th, 2.92 stars
2005: 45th, 2.59 stars
2004: 65th, 2.13 stars (behind the likes of Tulane and Syracuse)
2003: 35th, 2.39 stars
2002: 59th, 2.39 starsAverage: 48th, 2.49 stars
What's more, the fact that Petrino has been roundly blasted on ESPN by talking heads and Falcons players is sure to hurt his standing with both recruits and their parents.
5. Defense wins championships...
And nowhere in college football is that more true than the SEC.
Think about the difference between Florida's team this year and last. It's not Tim Tebow—it's the experience they lost on defense...hence the Gators' losses.
Petrino will run into more speed and athleticism on opposing SEC defeses than he ever had on his own "prolific" UL offenses. I'm just not sold on his ability to put up points at Arkansas—especially not right away.
6. The Razaorbaks will (most likely) lose their main offensive weapon next year in Darren McFadden, and possibly even Plan B in Felix Jones.
Petrino inherits a re-tooling program. Given his track record, I wouldn't be surprised if he goes one-and-done in Arkansas—he's always looking for the hot new suitor, after all.
According to ESPN columnist Pat Forde, the coach has interviewed for new jobs each of the last five years...despite assuring his bosses he wouldn't.
7. Petrino wasn't Arkansas' first choice.
The Hogs struck out several times before settling for Petrino. That doesn't bode well for either party.
All told, Petrino is a big name from a small conference—and I'd call his signing an overhyped lateral move rather than a great pickup.
Without a helluva defensive coordinator who can also recruit, Arkansas will remain (at best) the same team they've been under Houston Nutt: pretty good on offense and mediocre or weak on defense, with unremarkable depth and special teams.I'd bet that Petrino never wins the conference championship—even IF he sticks around for a few years.
Any takers?
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7 months ago
Arkanas generally is pretty strong......Ive heard people say they're an average team......anything but average......Championship game in Atlanta last year.....dissapointing 8-4 this year but beat LSU on the road......nope they're a pretty good team. The media likes four or five teams in the conference due to the markets they attract. With good coaching.......Arkansas has the potential to unseat any of those teams on the field. Arkansas has the most incredible human and financial resources that I can think of and their facilities are Better....yes, better than anyone elses' in the SEC and possibly the country. If you doubt me on that one......go take a look! The football stadium has latte bars...and restaurants, as well as the most incredible student center youve ever seen. The skyboxes look like they were designed for a professional stadium. It's worth a look.
from 7 months ago
All of the success Arkansas had in recent years, is due in most part to Houston Nutt recruits Matt Jones and Darren McFadden and neither one of them are gonna be there next year. When he was at Arkansas, Matt Jones won at least 4 games a year by himself. I don't think I need to go into detail what McFadden has done. Petrino has to now prove he can develop players in the college game.
7 months ago
Great article. I agree with you on every point. Do you think his recruiting will be better now that parents actually see his standards on loyalty? I don't think so.
7 months ago
I agree with many of your points and I also feel that Petrino is not going to set the world on fire in the SEC, at least not right away. However, he is still a successful college coach and if he were to have taken a job in the Big 10, 12, or Pac 10, it would be understood that those conferences should be preparing for an additional strong team.
I've always looked at conference strength as a combination of teams who have great coaches, players, and who have a consistent 4 - 6 teams ranked in the top 25. I've never fallen for the conference with one or two powerhouses and a bunch of .500 squads.
Having said that, I see Petrino coming into the SEC and feeling a little bit like Spurrier and Saban. You know they can coach, but SOMEbody has to lose every game. Next thing you know they've got two handfuls of losses and people are questioning if the game has passed them by.
Next year it looks like Florida and Georgia will battle it out at the top of the league. Winner just might end up in the NC game.
7 months ago
Don't tell me, but did he take your girl friend from you? No?, perhaps he kicked your butt when you were younger!
Let me clue you in, Houston Nutt never won the conference championship in 10 years?? So what is your frickin point??? I can answer that too, you're nothing but a blow hard!!!
KEEP BLOWING
7 months ago
Let's not crown the Big East just yet, alright? Their marquee out of league wins came early against an Auburn team that was most definitely still finding it's way with a young offensive line and then Oregon State. The Big East is not a joke, don't get me wrong, it's a very good confrence, and not the joke of the BCS leagues either, but it's not at the level of the SEC nor will it be.
7 months ago
Petrino pretty much HAS to stick around for a while. Who's gonna hire him until he shows he's not a one-trick pony?
Definitely agree that the Atlanta fiasco is going to make for some interesting tap dancing by Bobby when the parents of top recruits ask tough questions.
7 months ago
PETRINO IS GAY...THE END
7 months ago
arkansas will regret hiring Petrino
7 months ago
Maybe we will, and maybe we won't.
I do know this:
I've read two articles providing BP's side of the story, and he doesn't come off as the Simon Legree of college coaches, once you take a step back and inhale a few times.
ESPN is infotainment, folks. Plain and simple. They report only easy or sensational stories. They didn't even bother to dig a little to see why BP would take a 10 million dollar pay cut to get out of Atlanta. Hmmmm......Interesting, wouldn't you agree?
As far as the success or failure is concerned.......Well, HDN ran a program that reeked from a lack of integrity, and we didn't even have a lot of success on the field to soften the stench. By the way, where was ESPN on this one? Oh yeah, it would have required a little digging on their part, so nevermind.
BP, win or lose, is at least a move in the right direction.
7 months ago
Taking a $10 million pay cut and knowing you were going to be blasted by the national media would seem to be reasons for Petrino to stay in Atlanta. If you listen to his side of the story, he was lied to going into the Atlanta situation and was then subjected to a gang of thug players and a meddlesome owner who even tried to dictate his actions down to the type of prayers that could be uttered. It's certainly understandable that ESPN and other national media outlets would pander to Arthur Blank since his company, Home Depot, buys substantial amounts of national advertising. Coach Petrino will just have to let his team's performance in the coming years speak for itself but you just keep asking yourself that $10 million question.
7 months ago
Atlanta sucks ! Patrino was smart to get out.
7 months ago
I don't think anybody has a problem with Petrino leaving Atlanta and becoming the Arkansas coach. Its the way he goes about things. He's very disingenuous and the entire time he was at Louisville, he kept lying to them and job hunting. He's tried for 5 jobs in the last 5 years and wait until he lies to Arkansas fans while he positions himself to be hired by LSU,Ohio State or a bigger job. Do you think any parent of any recruit is gonna believe him when he says he's in it for the long haul?
7 months ago
My only quibble with this article is calling the Big East a good conference. Pitt is on the rise? Hmmm...
Arkansas is a horrible, awful, terrible job right now. Your direct competition is LSU, Bama, and Auburn. Miss. St. is on the rise and competitive again. Texas and Oklahoma are both in good shape to poach recruits, so is Tennessee and even Missouri now that Pinkel has that ship going. Kentucky and South Carolina are competitive again... You're going into a situation where you'rebehind the 8-ball in terms of schedule and recruiting. Oh, and the fans and boosters are some of the nuttiest wack-jobs in the country.
Worse, he gave Saban, Mack Brown, Miles/LSU coach, Spurrier, Meyer, etc. a whole bunch of fodder to use against him in the recruiting circles. And I don't think he can hire a powerhouse high school coach to help him out, either...
7 months ago
Drake - I actually agree with you mostly. There probably are some great things about your program, but I really doubt Petrino is the answer. I consider him a coach who has shown great potential, but I don't like his chances in the SEC.
Daniel - Thanks. I do think his recruiting numbers will go up, just because he is at a more traditional football school, better conference with established recruiting pipelines, etc, but I don't think he has much if any experience recruiting top tier talent like you need in the SEC. Perhaps he has a great eye for those diamonds in the rough, but I don't see him changing the status quo.
Eric - I would definitely place Petrino at least one level below those coaches you mentioned both of whom have won national championships before. Perhaps he has just as big of a name, but as far as coaching legacy he really can't touch either yet.
Those teams will probably be the best in the SEC next year, but they are unfortunately in the same division. The west could be tricky next year, if LSU loses enough talent I could see Auburn or even Alabama taking it. We'll see how things shape up much better after LOI day and the draft.
Ben - I agree. The way the editor's changes came out made a stronger statement about the Big East than I originally stated. Still, its no longer the Big Easy and the main point was that there is more competition there now than there was when Petrino was there. And I can't see it either.... the world would have to turn upside down for them to match or be better than the SEC as a conference.
Joe - I would have thought that too when he signed a 5 year, 24$ million deal with the Falcons. I think he'll either sink or swim in the SEC, and I think in either case his track record shows that he's on the lookout for other jobs.
Anonymous - He could still turn out to be great, I just don't think it is very likely. Considering how egotistical he has been made out to be (and some of his actions look), I can see how $10 million could be a small price to pay considering he is very young for a coach and his legacy. There is no such thing as stability when you are losing, and job opportunities would probably be more sparse had he waited a couple more seasons in ATL. Reputation is very important as a coach and for now his success at Louisville is fresh enough for him to have it. Also when you consider money as a coach that's winning versus losing, there is a lot of potential in the future as far as advertising, endorsements, and of course salary. I think he's probably a little delusional to think he can have that kind of success in the SEC, that's all.
William - You'll be interested in my previous comments too. I hadn't heard your perspective before, but from what I've seen of him, he doesn't seem like an overpowering, dictator type of owner or person. Just because its hard to see doesn't mean its true, but if I were in Petrino's shoes, that's probably the best spin I could use as well. You are right, we'll just have to see how Petrino's teams shape up.
Anonymous #2 - I do have a bit of a problem with him leaving with 3 games to go (and taking his brother with him). Even though it makes sense at the college level because of recruiting, its definitely not classy.
J.C. - You make some great points. Like I said earlier, the editor made some changes (most of them I liked) that overstated a bit how I feel about the Big East. It's not there yet but it made great strides this year. Including Pitt in that statement could be a bit of a stretch, yes. The biggest reasons for my inclusion are that they got a bigtime signature win against WV, and that same weekend I read that they got commitments from a highly touted RB and a 5 star DE (I'm not sure about how reliable the source was though). That combined with Wannstedt's extension makes me think they will be good and soon.
And yeah, fodder or not, I just don't see him drawing much talent away from those well established coaches.
7 months ago
Do any of you know BP? It has been my experience that there are 3 sides to every story: mine, yours and the truth. I think we've heard everything but the truth and it lies somewhere in the middle of both camps.
As far as BP in the SEC... He is a PROVEN offensive mind and that it is what attracts recruits. An offense that's fun to run and can get you to the LEAGUE!
He will need to step up his defense in the SEC, but that's just one DC away...
Arkansas is the ONLY GAME in the state and if the in state recruits continue to get better, I don't see BP having any problems recruiting players to his style of play.
From all accounts I've read, the recruits he's visited just this past week have been very impressed with him (including the HS coaches and parents)!
I don't expect he'll be around forever, but 4 years from now this will all be a faint memory one way or the other...
My prediction, BP will lead Arkansas back to Atlanta in the next 3 years.....
7 months ago
Wow, anonymous, how's that kool-aid tasting?
Have his opponents had less success getting players into the league? Saban, Miles, Brown, Fulmer, Spurrier, Meyer, Tubberville, etc.? Nope, pretty sure that aside from maybe the number of RBs drafter, he's got nothing on these guys.
7 months ago
The way I see it is that Bobby gave up a very well paid job at ATL for some reason which apperantly is not publicly known. It is known that Mr. Blank likes to stick his oppinions into the coaches plans. NFL coaches often get fired in mid-season, so as I see it, there is not much loyalty on the owners side either.
Maybe Petrino can be called quitter, but I definately would have left Louisville for a 25 million contract. I don't think it was his fault that Vick stirred up one big mess on the team, plus from what I have learned, the players never gave him any loyalty. It is difficult to get results out of over-paid, supposedly adult men doesn't give respect to the coach. By that token, I believe that Petrino's quitting in a lose, lose situation at ATL maybe wasn't such a bad thing.
One thing about Petrino though is his offense only attitude. A strong defense is always important. I will have to wait and see if he can really do a goo job at Arkansas.
As far as his recruiting, I understand that he has allready signed QB Wilson who allegedly has great potential.
7 months ago
The bottom line is winning... most parents want their kids to get a good education while they are on a team that is winning games. There are those who don't give a rats ass about the quality of education or the moral compass of the coaches as long as their kid can stand out and get some attention in the national spotlight.
7 months ago
So far, at par. Lost one yesterday, DB Junior Oparka of Sugar Land, TX, to BC, stole one, QB Tyler Wilson, Greenwood, AR, (Tulsa commitment), got one thinking: WR Joe Adams, CAC (USC commitment).
Most commitments voice excitement. Those that want to be a Razorback will. Those that aren't certain play scout team at USC and Michigan.
6 months ago
I think you guys need to take a look at the players who are making their way to Arkansas right now for a look and the players who have already committed. We've got a strong class coming in and our defensive coordinator can do an okay job. Don't worry We've got the weapons. Within the next two years everybody WILL know Arkansas as a kicka team.
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