Arkansas announced Smith’s hiring as head coach Monday, bring back the popular former assistant who left four months ago to take over at Weber State. Smith will be formally introduced Tuesday, and the school said he signed a 10-month, $850,000 contract and will also be eligible for other incentives.
“I am tremendously excited to have this special opportunity to return to Arkansas and lead the Razorback football program,” Smith said in a statement.
Smith’s return caps a whirlwind three weeks for a program reeling after revelations of an affair by Petrino with a woman, Jessica Dorrell, he later hired as his assistant. Petrino also once gave his Dorrell $20,000 in gifts — all which was revealed following an April 1 motorcycle crash on a rural road southwest of Fayetteville. Dorrell has since resigned.
Arkansas Athletic Director Jeff Long fired Petrino on April 10 and started looking for a new coach. In the end, he came back to Smith — a person with head coaching experience and familiarly with the Razorbacks’ staff, one who will allow that staff to remain intact for at least the 2012 season.
“When coach Smith first approached me about returning to Arkansas to serve in this position, he talked about his desire to be a part of the continued success of these student-athletes, this coaching staff and the Razorback program,” Long said in a statement.
Hiring Smith also allows Long to take his time in finding a long-term solution at head coach. Petrino’s firing came during spring practice for much of the college football world, a time when few coaches were willing to leave their current positions for the unknown — even for a top-five team that already had a coaching staff in place.
“(Smith) has been a part of the record-breaking success we have enjoyed in the past few seasons,” Long said. “… I also have a tremendous amount of confidence in our assistant coaches and believe that under coach Smith’s leadership they will be able to continue to flourish in the current roles.”
Smith was a head coach at Michigan State and Louisville, where he was replaced by Petrino after the 2002 season. He served as the special teams and outside linebackers coach at Arkansas for the 2009-11 seasons under Petrino; the two have worked together at four different schools in all.
Petrino issued a statement late Monday night through his agent, Russ Campbell.
“I think Jeff Long made a great hire,” Petrino said. “While there were several outstanding internal candidates, John L. brings a lot of head coaching experience to the table that will help Arkansas’ transition. He will unify the staff, the team and the Razorback fan base. I wish coach Smith, his staff and the Arkansas football team the very best.”
Word of Smith’s hire spread quickly Monday and some of the players responded with their approval on Twitter.
“The happiest day of my life,” Razorbacks running back Knile Davis tweeted. “Hearing that John L. Smith is coming back to (Fayetteville) to (be) our head coach.”
The players were informed of Smith’s hiring at an afternoon team meeting, though they were instructed to avoid talking with media members outside the Broyles Athletic Center afterward. Still, their smiles told the story of their feelings.
Those smiles were shared by former Arkansas players who played for Smith, including current New England Patriots quarterback Ryan Mallett.
“John is a great guy and a great coach,” Mallett tweeted. “I love it.”
Smith’s easygoing demeanor will be a big change from Petrino.
The 63-year-old Smith leaves Weber State without coaching a game for the FCS school, his alma mater.
Weber State athletic director Jerry Bovee said the “timing of this announcement is problematic” but the school would move forward. Bovee did not immediately name an interim coach.
“Wow, just when you think the pieces to the puzzle are all in place, something big happens to create chaos and the picture changes,” Bovee tweeted. “Ouch!”
Smith has a 132-86 record as a head coach with the Spartans, Cardinals as well as at Idaho and Utah State. He was the Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2003 after posting the most wins by a first-year coach in Michigan State history, finishing 8-4. But things went downhill fast in East Lansing, Mich., and he finished 22-26 overall with the Spartans.
He went 41-21 in five seasons at Louisville, including five straight bowl appearances.
He will provide a familiar face for the Razorbacks after three weeks of turmoil.
Petrino was hired to replace Houston Nutt on Dec. 11, 2007, famously leaving the Atlanta Falcons before the end of the NFL season. He built the program into a Southeastern Conference and national power and many expect the Razorbacks to make a championship run in 2012.
Arkansas was 11-2 last season, with its only losses coming to national champion Alabama and runner-up LSU. Arkansas finished the season No. 5, its best season-ending ranking since 1977, and returns Heisman Trophy hopefuls at quarterback (Tyler Wilson) and running back (Davis).
For all of the success and expectations, however, Petrino’s tenure with the Razorbacks will likely be more remembered for how it ended.
The 51-year-old Petrino suffered four broken ribs, a cracked vertebra and numerous abrasions to his face following the accident on his Harley-Davidson with Dorrell along for the ride. Petrino failed to tell his boss about the presence of the 25-year-old Dorrell until minutes before the police report was released.
Long put Petrino on paid leave and fired him less than a week later. The married father of four later chose not to appeal his firing, meaning he walked away with none of the $18 million buyout due in his contract. His annual salary averaged more than $3.5 million.
Despite his failings away from the field, Petrino was nothing short of spectacular in his four seasons at Arkansas. He was 34-17 overall, finishing 5-7 his first season in 2008. That season followed a 10-year run by Nutt, who left for Ole Miss after the 2007 season.
Nutt’s final days with the Razorbacks were marred by rumors of turmoil within his coaching staff, fueled by the departure of former offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn to Tulsa after the 2006 season. Malzahn later won a national championship as the offensive coordinator at Auburn before being hired in December as the head coach at Arkansas State, and his departure also led to the transfers of his former high school stars — wide receiver Damian Williams and quarterback Mitch Mustain, both who left for USC.
The upheaval led to fans flying “Fire Nutt” banners before games during the 2007 seasons, and it left the fan base fractured before and after he left for the Rebels.
Petrino’s hiring brought that base back together. The school looked past his history of job-hopping, trusting him to lead Arkansas to a level of success it hadn’t experienced since joining the SEC in 1992.
Arkansas now hopes to continue its recent good fortunes under the leadership of a familiar and comforting face in Smith.
“Throughout the spring, the assistant coaches and student-athletes have shown incredible focus and character, which we will use to build on as we work to achieve our goals for 2012,” Smith said.
Alabama becoming Hurricanes-like NFL pipeline
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama is becoming the kind of NFL draft factory that the Miami Hurricanes were a decade ago.
The national champion Crimson Tide is expected to have five players drafted in the first round Thursday night, which would be only the fifth time that has happened since the common draft began in 1967. Add in last year’s first-round quartet, and only the Hurricanes have had more a prolific stretch in the draft.
Tailback Trent Richardson, linebackers Dont’a Hightower and Courtney Upshaw and defensive backs Mark Barron and Dre Kirkpatrick are all projected as first-rounders.
ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. figures “at worst” four of them will go in the first round, and said that playing for the Tide is good for a half-round bump for other draft-eligible players.
“People love the fact they’re coached up so well, basically pro coaching,” Kiper said. “And they’re so much more prepared for what the NFL is going to have to offer.”
Still, Alabama will need one more great year to match the Hurricanes. Miami had six first-round picks in 2004, four in 2003 and five in 2002.
The Hurricanes of the early 2000s are the only ones to have at least nine first-rounders in a two-year span, according to STATs LLC.
Ohio State also had five players taken in the opening round in 2006, and Southern California did it in 1968.
Saban said he emphasizes the importance of his players getting degrees and developing personally — and maybe turning into NFL players.
“We want to help them develop as a football player which means have a great career here, win a championship and see if you can play at the next level,” he said.
It helps that Saban has been bringing in some of the nation’s top recruiting classes. That has translated into two national championships in three years, along with a renewed draft presence.
The Tide didn’t have a single player picked in 2008 for the first time in 38 years. The following year, Andre Smith became Alabama’s first first-rounder since Shaun Alexander and Chris Samuels in 2000.
The Tide has eight players who are likely to be drafted. Noseguard Josh Chapman, cornerback DeQuan Menzie and wide receiver/return man Marquis Maze are all expected to be picked in the mid-to-late rounds.
At least six players are listed as potential first-rounders in 2013 in various mock drafts.
Agent Pat Dye Jr. represents Hightower and Menzie, along with such former Saban stars and current NFL players as Rolando McClain, Mike Johnson and Julio Jones.
He thinks Saban’s background as an NFL assistant and former Miami Dolphins head coach helps, but so does the talent.
“He certainly knows what it takes at that level, and he’s demanding of them physically,” Dye said. “He’s demanding of them mentally. I think all of those things, combined with that talent base, is why those guys have had so much success on draft day and go on to have success in the NFL.”
Plus, he adds, “They’re not going to settle for anything less than perfection over there, which is a great training ground for getting ready for the next level.”
Richardson is a candidate to go to Cleveland at No. 4 or Tampa Bay at No. 5. Barron is also regarded as a potential Top 10 pick, while the other three are projected to go in the middle to late portion of the round.
Hightower feels like playing in the complex defense of Saban and Kirby Smart helps him.
“Wherever he’s at, he’s always had success,” he said. “If you go back and look some of the players he’s put out at LSU and Michigan State, that shows a lot. They look at that. And they know that I have the athletic ability and know that I can come in in a week and get the game plan and be ready to go by Sunday. It’s definitely something that helped me out.”
Three-way PSU QB race heads into offseason
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — New coach, same uncertainty behind center at Penn State. Bill O’Brien heads into the offseason hoping to narrow the field in the three-man race for the starting quarterback job to two.
The quarterback questions aren’t new in Happy Valley. O’Brien’s predecessor, the late Joe Paterno, had open competitions for the starting job entering the previous two seasons — and Penn State ended both those campaigns near the bottom of the Big Ten in scoring and total offense. But there are several new wrinkles this year in a spring already chock-full of changes for the Nittany Lions.
First, O’Brien is installing a new offense based on the high-octane attack he oversaw as offensive coordinator of the New England Patriots. It’s taken a while for the skill position players — let alone the quarterbacks — to pick up the schemes just three-plus months after O’Brien was hired for the job.
And O’Brien revealed after Saturday’s Blue-White game that he ran just 10 percent of the offensive playbook.
“This whole spring has been a challenge to us as an offense, coming together learning new plays,” quarterback Matt McGloin said. “One thing we can focus on this summer is being consistent.”
McGloin began the last two seasons behind Rob Bolden at quarterback, before overtaking Bolden by season’s end.
They’re both in the mix again this spring. But another major difference his year is a third candidate getting first-team reps. Paul Jones is a promising western Pennsylvania product who had to overcome academic issues for much of his first two seasons at Penn State, including his redshirt freshman campaign in 2011.
Primarily a pocket passer, McGloin has a swagger that seemed to endear himself to his teammates the last two seasons. Bolden is more mobile but has had issues with consistency and pocket presence.
O’Brien will be watching a lot of film this offseason in hopes of determining whether he can at least narrow the field from three to two. A starter likely won’t be named until just before the season opener Sept. 1 against Ohio.
O’Brien and quarterbacks coach Charlie Fisher also fully understand they’ve given the players a lot to study in a short amount of time.
“They knew coming in they were going to have to learn things, grasp things and work at it,” Fisher said Saturday. “It’s just 15 days in and obviously there’s a big growth period that will take place during the summer.
“We’ve still got time ahead of us.”
McGloin finished 6 of 13 passing for 105 yards on Saturday, while Jones was 6 of 15 for 113 yards. Both McGloin and Jones each threw for a touchdown and an interception.
Bolden was the only quarterback among the top three candidates to complete at least 50 percent of his passes at 7 of 14 for 78 yards. But Bolden threw three interceptions and didn’t pass for a score.
“Any free time has to be put in to learning this stuff. Just throwing routes and learning concepts, sitting down with your coach,” Bolden said. “Anything you can to get yourself ahead you do it. If you don’t, you will be stuck.”
Jones lacks game experience. But if Saturday’s game was any indication, he also might have the strongest arm — he rocketed a couple throws roughly 50 yards downfield that went long of receivers.
And 50 yards is easy. One practice this spring, O’Brien told Jones that Patriots backup quarterback Ryan Mallett had the strongest arm the coach had seen with a pass of 72 yards.
Determined to impress, Jones fell just short throwing into the wind.
“I threw 70. We didn’t have the best Saturday morning weather that day,” Jones joked.
Academic issues forced Jones to stay home for the trip to the TicketCity Bowl on Jan. 2 in Dallas. Houston beat the Nittany Lions, 30-14, but Jones said being left back hurt.
This spring, O’Brien has praised Jones for his academics.
“I’m doing really (well) with my school work. I never had problems with academics before,” Jones said. “It was a real humbling experience.”
Informal talk on PSU stadium naming goes nowhere
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Penn State informally offered to rename Beaver Stadium after Joe Paterno, and the coach’s family replied through back channels that it wasn’t interested because it was never important to the late head coach, said a person familiar with the situation.
The issue arose while the two sides also were also discussing details of payments and benefits due to Paterno’s estate and family under Paterno’s contract, said the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Monday because there was no authority to speak publicly on the topic.
Paterno died at age 85 in January. The Board of Trustees ousted him in November in the aftermath of child sexual abuse charges against retired defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, necessitating the need to work out the contract.
Sandusky, who is awaiting trial, has maintained his innocence.
A school spokesman, Bill Mahon, said Monday that university attorneys did not discuss the naming issue with Paterno representatives in the course of wrapping up the contract. The person familiar with the issue said no formal offer was ever made.
The Patriot-News of Harrisburg first reported about the topic Sunday.
The school was turning over four checks worth more than $3 million for bonuses that covered the season, bowl game and entire career, a university spokeswoman said last week. The breakdown provided by Penn State also included the use by Paterno’s family of a Beaver Stadium suite for 25 years and $900,000 from television and radio revenue from last season.
Paterno family lawyer Wick Sollers said Thursday it was not a settlement but rather “a straightforward payment of moneys indisputably owed to the Paterno estate.”
The family declined a request to a full release in return for the payments under the contract, Sollers said. Without a release, Paterno’s estate could still sue under the contract or some other reason, if it wishes.
The university on its “openness” website Monday stated that neither the board, nor its attorney ever discussed the possible renaming of the stadium in connection with talks about making payments under Paterno’s contract. The school also called false a report that the board or its attorney tried to leverage a stadium name change in connection with the contract discussions.
Beaver Stadium is named after James A. Beaver, a Pennsylvania governor and superior court judge, and former president of the Board of Trustees. He died in 1914.
An alumni-driven effort to rename the field at Beaver Stadium after Paterno sprouted a few years ago. The issue came up sporadically in Paterno’s discussions with reporters in recent years, during which the coach typically said he wasn’t interested or downplayed such questions.
Former Nebraska cornerback Dennard leaves jail
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Bond was set at $5,000 on Monday for former Nebraska cornerback Alfonzo Dennard, an NFL draft prospect who is accused of punching a police officer over the weekend.
