FAYETTEVILLE — Ryan Mallett started his career at Michigan and Broderick Green began at Southern California.Joe Adams appeared set to go to USC, too, but eventually changed course.
What do these three players have in common? They're all from Arkansas and they're all playing for the Razorbacks this season.
When Bobby Petrino was introduced as Arkansas' coach 20 months ago, one of his first comments was about recruiting. Petrino wanted the state's best players to become Razorbacks. So far, he appears to be getting his wish.
Mallett, Green and Adams all joined the Hogs after Petrino's arrival, and the trio is expected to play a big role this season. Mallett is atop the depth chart at quarterback, Adams led the wide receivers in catches last season and the 6-foot-2, 248-pound Green should give Arkansas a powerful running back for short-yardage situations.
"Everybody knows, you come here, you get the ball a lot in this system," Adams said. "The guys that transferred, they didn't want to go anywhere else but come home and play for their home state."
A couple years ago, it seemed the opposite was true. In fact, Petrino might not be coaching the Razorbacks if not for an abrupt exodus toward the end of coach Houston Nutt's tenure.
In 2006, Arkansas signed quarterback Mitch Mustain and wide receiver Damian Williams from nearby Springdale. It appeared those two would combine with running back Darren McFadden - another homegrown star - to form a fearsome offensive combination.
Mustain and Williams transferred, however, after one season. That caused a firestorm, and in February 2007, the Razorbacks missed out on a few more big in-state prospects. Quarterback Kodi Burns (Fort Smith) and offensive lineman Lee Ziemba (Rogers) went to Auburn. Green (Little Rock) headed to USC.
Nutt left later that year to take over at Mississippi, and Petrino was hired that December. Around the same time, Michigan was going through its own coaching change, and Mallett wanted out. He'd played high school football in Texarkana, Texas, but he lived on the Arkansas side of that border town and the Hogs were in the mix.
"I wanted to come back home, and come play for the team that I grew up watching," Mallett said.
Mallett transferred to the Razorbacks in January 2008, and the following month, Adams signed with the Hogs. Also in that recruiting class was Tyler Wilson, a Greenwood product who is now challenging Mallett for the starting quarterback job.
"We just need to wait and see," Petrino said recently. "We're just going to continue the evaluation."
Petrino was vilified by many after leaving the Atlanta Falcons in the middle of the season to take over at Arkansas. That criticism doesn't seem to have hurt his efforts to bring talented players to the Razorbacks.
Mallett was more than happy to come play for Petrino, who earned a reputation as a top offensive mind while coaching high-scoring teams at Louisville earlier this decade. Mallett said the criticism of Petrino's nomadic ways never really resonated with him.
After all, he was transferring after playing 11 games at Michigan in the 2007 season.
"I was like, 'Hey, I can't blame him, because I'm leaving too,"' Mallett said.
This season, Arkansas adds another top in-state recruit, defensive back Darius Winston of Helena-West Helena, and the Razorbacks will have some help in the backfield too. Green transferred from USC and received a waiver allowing him to play immediately. Green said he felt he was too far from home and wanted to return to be closer to his grandmother, who was sick.
"She's happy about the fact that I'm home and spending time with her and going home on the weekends and doing all the stuff that I couldn't do when I was in California," Green said.
Green still has a lot to prove on the field, and so do Mallett and Adams. But no matter what happens, Arkansas fans can be happy. These top prospects from Arkansas chose the Hogs - eventually.
"I just think it's a great thing for the state that we're keeping kids here," Mallett said. "And it's going to be good for the Razorbacks."