Bobby Petrino reflects on impact Ryan Mallett had on Arkansas football

The state of Arkansas and beyond were stunned on June 27, 2023, the date it was announced former Razorbacks quarterback and state native Ryan Mallett passed away. Mallett will be inducted posthumously into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame later this year after playing and coaching in the state at the high school level and starting for two seasons at Arkansas.

Mallett played under former Arkansas coach and current offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino during his time in Fayetteville. Petrino was recently asked about his former quarterback’s Hall of Fame induction and overall impact on the Razorbacks’ program.

“It’s so sad that he’s not with us, it’s hard,” Petrino said. “But he was an unbelievable player and an unbelievable personality.

“He’d walk into a room, and light up the room, and be happy, talk to everybody. Good to meet Ryan Mallett,” Petrino added. “He’s such a good guy and a good person and he should be in that hall of fame. There’s no question about that.”

Born in Batesville, Arkansas, Mallett went to Michigan out of high school before transferring back home to Arkansas ahead of the 2008 season.

After sitting out a year in service due to his transfer, Mallett quickly climbed the depth chart and the rest was be history, leading Arkansas to an 18-8 record and two bowl game appearances while throwing for 7,493 yards and 62 touchdowns. Mallett clearly made an impact both on and off the field that Petrino believes shifted the culture.

“He changed our program here I thought. Ryan was here 2008, so that’s when I started to do Sunday night practices. So we did Sunday night practices for Ryan to start working the offense, but also for our coaching staff to see Ryan executing the offense and give us energy to attack the week every week coming in on Monday morning,” Petrino explained. “You can’t say enough great things about Ryan and what he’s done for Arkansas football.”

Mallett earned Second-Team All-SEC selections in back-to-back years as Arkansas starting quarterback behind Tim Tebow and Cam Newton. Mallett spent seven seasons in the NFL before becoming the head coach at Mountain Home and White Hall High School in his home state, opting to give back to the game in a state he kept close to his heart before his unfortunate and unexpected death last year.