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Weekly UpdatesWhen Ryan Mallett stepped onto the field nearly two years ago for his first collegiate start, 111,178 fans were packed into one of college football's most storied venues to witness one of the game's traditional rivalries.
A national television audience was also tuned in as Michigan hosted Notre Dame in the "Big House" that day.
Surely, Mallett, then the quarterback for the Wolverines, had to be nervous, right?
Mallett playfully laughs when the question is asked. He is clearly amused at the thought.
"People don't understand, but the more eyes that are on me, the more I'm jacked up and ready to go," Mallett said, breaking into a wide grin. "That stuff doesn't really faze me. That's just how I've always been."
This is exactly what Arkansas coaches and players love best about Mallett: Little seems to rattle him. That's one of the primary reasons Mallett left spring practice with an edge in the quarterback race over redshirt freshman Tyler Wilson.
Mallett, a sophomore who sat out last season after transferring from Michigan, possesses an unflappable nature--his "swagger" as teammates label it--which might be his greatest asset, even greater than Mallett's already legendary arm strength.
And it's a good thing Mallett enjoys attention.
Plenty of eyes will be on Mallett this fall as he officially begins his career with the Razorbacks. Arkansas fans, national media pundits and even some teammates have already pinned the hopes for a successful season on Mallett, a 6-foot-7, 240-pound native of Texarkana.
Mallett enters the fall as the best option among a developing group of Arkansas quarterbacks. His combination of physical skill and leadership ability made him one of the nation's most sought-after prospects as a senior and after he decided to transfer from Michigan, following a coaching change in 2007.
Arkansas quarterbacks coach Garrick McGee was offensive coordinator at Northwestern when Mallett was at Michigan and knew what the Razorbacks were getting as a football player and personality.
"When he walks into the room, within 10 minutes he's the center of attention," McGee said. "If you spend any time with him, you get that."
Much of the attention Mallett has garnered has been positive. He did have a minor run in with Fayetteville police when he was arrested March 1 for public intoxication on Dickson Street.
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Mallett apologized to teammates shortly after the incident and was under disciplinary action until May. Coaches and teammates say Mallett learned from the incident.
"I made a mistake back in the offseason," Mallett said. "I've learned. I've paid my dues."
Mallett, who turned 21 on June 6, is still learning. Sometimes his impulsive nature gets the best of him, but even some questionable decisions--like one spring practice incident--have endeared him to teammates.
Things turned heated on the field during 11-on-11 drills after a defensive player was believed to have delivered a cheap shot to an offensive teammate. Players rushed to the spot on the field where the action was happening.
A few tense seconds later, things began to settle down and coaches and players had all but two Razorbacks separated. There at the center of it all were Mallett and linebacker Jerry Franklin.
Mallett took exception to the hit and wound up in the scrum, getting in the face of any defensive player that appeared in front of him.
It wasn't the brightest move. Mallett acted on impulse and in the process put himself--and ultimately the team's welfare--in danger. Teammates appreciated the fire he
showed. It was an act of bravado that had previously been missing at the quarterback position when Arkansas struggled through last year's 5-7 campaign.
"You usually don't see that in a quarterback," tight end D.J. Williams said. "And that's not just for show on the field. He has that little swagger about him. He's not going to get punked by anybody.
"That's just leadership. It's something we all feed off of."
Beyond the ability to rally teammates, Mallett is a more-than-capable quarterback. Arkansas should be more of a threat to test defenses deep this year and Mallett's arm strength is a big reason for that. "[Ryan] has the overall understanding of what we want to do there," UA coach Bobby Petrino said. "He certainly can throw the ball down the field and operate the quick passing game as long as he gets his feet set. He has to show more consistency in his decision making and delivery."
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Footwork is regarded as Mallett's biggest deficiency. He has a tendency to get sloppy with his drops after taking the snap, something that affects his accuracy and touch.
"When Ryan sticks to his technique, when his feet are active and he does what he's been coached to do, Ryan is one of the best players that I've coached," McGee said. "When he gets away from his technique, he can be one of the most sporadic players I've coached."
In his one season with the Wolverines, Mallett threw for 892 yards and 7 touchdowns. He tossed three touchdown passes in his first career start, a 38-0 victory against Notre Dame.
NCAA rules dictated Mallett sit out after transferring. Not being able to play last year was tough for Mallett, the son of a coach and a fixture at his father's games as a toddler.
Even without playing, Mallett found ways to contribute. He was a sideline regular for home games. Mallett was at every one, including the season finale in Little Rock against LSU, where he spent most of the game exhorting his teammates and celebrating loudly after the Hogs' 31-30 win.
"We needed that," Mallett said of his sideline role. "I didn't feel like we had anybody getting the team fired up and ready to go. I couldn't play on the field, so I was trying to help off of it in any way I could.... That was my job last year." That workload will increase this year. Mallett said he's ready for the challenge.
And, of course, Mallett hopes as many people are watching as possible.
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RYAN MALLETT
STRENGTHS
* Strong arm
* Unflappable nature
* Magnetic personality
* Starting experience at Michigan
WEAKNESSES
* Needs to develop better touch
* Inconsistent footwork
* Questionable decision making on/off field
* Limited mobility
COACH'S TAKE
"When Ryan sticks to his technique, when his feet are active and he does what he's been coached to do, Ryan is one of the best players that I've coached. When he gets away from his technique, he can be one of the most sporadic players I've coached."
--Arkansas quarterbacks coach Garrick McGee
ONLINE
Video: Chris Bahn tells us what to expect from quarterbacks Ryan Mallet and Tyler Wilson. Click the Video section of ArkansasSports360.com.
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