FAYETTEVILLE -- Heading into today's Arkansas vs. Toledo game in Little Rock, it seems Bobby Petrino's Arkansas 2015 presumed personnel group legacy starts somewhat catching up to his unexpected actual one.
Current Louisville coach Petrino last coached an Arkansas game when his 2011 Razorbacks beat Kansas State in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 7, 2012. But Petrino and his staff recruited the 2012 freshman class, signed by February, before he was fired that April.
Eleven of Arkansas' 12 fifth-year seniors and two true seniors -- receiver Keon Hatcher and injured-for-the-season running back Jonathan Williams -- are Petrino scholarship recruits or Petrino-era walk-ons.
Fifteen, redshirted in 2012 by John L. Smith after signed by or walking on for Petrino, are Razorbacks fourth-year juniors under third-year coach Bret Bielema.
Petrino presided over Arkansas' all-time most prolifically productive passing teams, compensating for defenses generally average or below.
Yet Petrino's 2015 legacy to Bielema seems predominantly defensive.
Up front, the Razorbacks' resurgence from national sieves in 2012 and 2013 to nationally Top Ten in 2014 began with Trey Flowers, the then two-time All-SEC senior, Petrino-recruited defensive end and current New England Patriots rookie.
The resurgence, including controlling the line of scrimmage in last Saturday's 48-13 season opening victory over Texas-El Paso, continues along the D-line. Fourth-year juniors JaMichael Winston and Taiwan Johnson and senior DeMarcus Hodge start at one end and the two tackles, while old hands Deatrich Wise, Mitch Loewen and Brandon Lewis alternate plus nurture the Bielema-recruited young D-linemen
The D-line blossomed under Bielema, defensive coordinator Robb Smith and D-line coach Rory Segrest, but the foundation begins with Petrino recruits.
Conversely, the receivers, Petrino's greatest positions -- especially if you include 2010 Mackey Award-winning tight end D.J. Williams -- lacked big-time by Bielema's arrival though Petrino signed them by the boatload.
Petrino's great ones, Williams and wideouts Jarius Wright, Joe Adams, Greg Childs and Cobi Hamilton, were all instate or just across a city's state line (Texarkana, Texas for Hamilton). All either committed to Houston Nutt, Petrino's predecessor, or were recruited by Tim Horton, the Nutt assistant now at Auburn who Petrino retained.
From there, Petrino mostly recruited receivers from farther away.
Mostly it didn't work out. Premature departures increased and success decreased.
The one area Bielema assumed he could least recruit right way for more pressing needs instead was a most pressing need.
But two Petrino pass-catchers from close to home, Hatcher of Owasso, Okla., and fourth-year junior tight end Jeremy Sprinkle of White Hall, stuck it out with fifth-year senior quarterback Brandon Allen. The three stuck it to UTEP last week.
Of Allen's 14 of 18 completions for a career high 308 yards with four touchdowns, Hatcher caught two TD's among his 6 catches for 106 yards while Sprinkle caught 42 and 18-yard passes.
Their potential for similarly continued success buttresses a Petrino legacy that, even with the defense excelling, inevitably remains Arkansas offensive.
Sports on 09/12/2015