Making a recruiting splash

Bobby Petrino's first order of business on the Hill was to assemble a coaching staff. It seemed to take awhile, but once in place, his assistants all appear to be chosen based on strength of recruiting. Whether it's holdovers like Bobby Allen or Tim Horton, or newcomers like Ellis Johnson, all these coaches are strong recruiters in different key geographic locations.
What does it mean? Well, that Petrino understands that if Arkansas wants to play with the big boys in the SEC, you have to outhustle and outrecruit other schools. And not just in Arkansas, but Texas, Louisiana and Florida.
The dividends are paying right away. Guys like Tyler Wilson (QB, Greenwood) and Dennis Johnson (RB, Texarkana) have signed on, and the biggest recruiting splash comes in the form of a transfer. Hog fans have hated the fact Ryan Mallett got away. The 6-6 gunslinger from Texarkana would have loved to play on Saturdays in Fayetteville. But under Houston Nutt, it didn't make sense. Now Petrino is here, and Mallett left Michigan (thanks to Rich Rodriguez running a new show in Ann Arbor) to hang out with the Hogs. A 5-star recruit brings more positive attention to Petrino and the university... and probably reminds fans of another 5-star QB who shouldn't have gotten away: Mitch Mustain.