Petrino Really Screwed Arkansas

UPig should have known Petrino would screw them over. He left Louisville right after signing a long term deal, he left the Falcons the day after telling Arthur Blank he was in it for the long haul. And now he leaves Arkansas, a team on the midst of a championship, with John L. Smith.

The way I see it, ARK A.D. Jeff Long had two choices: 1. hire an interim coach to salvage the 2012 season, or 2. hire a long term, up and coming coach to salvage 2013 recruiting. Couldn't salvage both.

I don't think there was any way Arkansas could have hired a proven head coach in April, after spring practice has already taken place. That is why I say the long term choice would have been an up and coming coach, i.e. Garrick McGee. The chances of McGee coming in and equaling the success UPig was going to have WITH Petrino in 2012 was slim. Bobby Petrino is a really good football coach, he overachieves more than most based on the talent he has. So I think if a guy like McGee was hired, it would have been to maintain recruiting, and try to reach the SEC mountain-top another year.

But Long went with the salvage 2012 route, hiring John L. Smith, who was the Arkansas special teams coach in 2011 under Petrino. Obviously, Smith already knows the players. He has been a head coach before. But he's no Petrino. There's a possibility that if UPig was going to be 11-1 they end up 10-2 or 9-3 this coming year. But Smith is older, he doesn't have a great track record, he is the interim coach. All summer, when most of the 2013 commits are made, he will be recruiting as the interim coach. That isn't good. Even if he is awarded the job in December, that isn't enough time to put together a great class...they will just be hoping to survive signing day.

I'm not sure what else Jeff Long could have done for Arkansas. He was put in a really bad position here, and he chose to go for broke in 2012. I'm not sure it will work. For one, all the assistants everyone keeps talking about keeping in tact, are all new. New O.C., new D.C., new position coaches. Secondly, Arkansas was winning because of Petrino's game preparation, his coaching, not the amazing talent he assembled. Yes, ARK is talented, but they are behind LSU, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Auburn and maybe Florida in that department. John L. Smith is not Petrino, and 8-4 will be a success in my eyes for the Hogs.

But who could Long have hired at this point in the year? Is Arkansas really that great of a job? Petrino's name is what gave the position its prestige. It will be interesting to see what happens going forward. All I know right now is Bobby P really screwed the Razorbacks.