Former Arkansas star QB lands high school head coaching job

Former Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback Ryan Mallett is set to lead a high school football program for the 2022 season.

On Wednesday night, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazzette’s Adam Cole reported Mallett was named the head coach for White Hall High School in Arkansas. Mallett previously served as the offensive coordinator at Mountain Home (Ark.) High School.

White Hall finished the 2021 season with an 11-3 record, including a 5-1 record in Arkansas Class 5A Central play. The Bulldogs lost 51-19 to Pulaski Academy in the 5A State Championship game after winning three straight playoff games by double digits.

Ryan Mallett helped the Bombers to a record of 11-14 and two trips to the playoffs in his two seasons with the team.

He takes over a White Hall team that went 11-3 last year and finished as state runners-up with a loss to Pulaski Academy in the state title game. He replaces Bobby Bolding who resigned after last season but remains at the school as athletic director.

Ryan Mallett in college and NFL

Mallett was a highly coveted quarterback coming out of high school in 2006 and ultimately chose to take his talents to the Michigan Wolverines.

He ended up playing in 11 games in Ann Arbor with three starts and completed 61 passes for 892 yards with seven touchdowns and five interceptions. He led the Wolverines to wins against Notre Dame, Penn State and Minnesota as a starter.

In 2007, Mallett transferred to the Arkansas Razorbacks and the decision proved to be the right one for both parties involved. After initially sitting out due to transfer policies in 2008, Ryan Mallett cemented himself as the team’s starter and found success quickly.

He threw for more than 3,600 yards in in both 2009 and 2010.

During the 2010 campaign, Mallett had his best season statistically, throwing for 3,869 yards and 32 touchdowns. His efforts in 2009 and 2010 earned him second-team All-SEC honors on both occasions. He guided Arkansas to an 18-8 record in his time with the program, winning the Liberty Bowl in 2009 and guiding the Razorbacks to a 2011 Sugar Bowl tilt against Ohio State.

Ryan Mallett was selected by the New England Patriots with the No. 74 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, but struggled to see the field as a backup behind Tom Brady and was ultimately traded to the Houston Texans in 2014.

He would appear in 9 games with Houston, making six starts, before he being released during the middle of the 2015 campaign and then signing with the Baltimore Ravens. That would be his final stop in the league to date, as he made two starts at the tail end of the 2015 season before only appearing in six games from 2016-17.