FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas Coach Bobby Petrino’s staff appears to be on the verge of completion.

Former Razorbacks player Kirk Botkin, who was most recently linebackers coach at Louisiana-Monroe, and Atlanta Falcons offensive line coach Mike Summers were confirmed as new Arkansas assistants Thursday by university and other sources.

An announcement regarding the staff is expected to be released today by the university.

Botkin, 36, played tight end for Arkansas from 1990-93 and was the Razorbacks’ first All-SEC selection in 1992. Botkin, a member of Arkansas’ All-Decade team of the 1990 s, played four seasons in the NFL.

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He was hired to coach linebackers and coordinate the special teams, and is expected to recruit in his home state of Texas.

“Coach Petrino was looking for an ex-player who coaches linebackers and special teams and recruits Texas,” Botkin told the News-Star of Monroe, La. “I heard about that and called him.”

Botkin also received an endorsement from former Arkansas Coach Jack Crowe, who called Petrino on his behalf.

Botkin spent the past two seasons as linebackers and special teams coach at Louisiana-Monroe. Previously, he was an assistant for five years under Crowe at Jacksonville (Ala. ) State.

Summers, 51, followed Petrino from Louisville to the Atlanta Falcons last January. An offensive lineman at Georgetown College in the 1970 s, Summers has 25 years of college coaching experience at Kentucky, Texas A&M, Northern Illinois, Oregon State, University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn., Oklahoma State, Ohio and Louisville.

Summers is expected to handle the offensive line for the Razorbacks.

Petrino had previously announced the hiring of his brother, Paul Petrino, as offensive coordinator, as well as Tim Horton and Bobby Allen off of the 2007 Arkansas staff guided by Houston Nutt.

Defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson, a veteran who was last at Mississippi State, has reportedly made it to campus, as has Garrick McGee, the former Oklahoma quarterback who just completed a four-year stint at Northwestern. McGee is expected to coach the quarterbacks with the Razorbacks.

Other coaches who are possible additions to Petrino’s first Arkansas staff include Dean Campbell, who was last at Air Force, and Lorenzo Ward, who most recently coached under Art Shell with the Oakland Raiders and was at Virginia Tech before that.

Derrick Nix, a Falcons offensive assistant thought to be under consideration for a staff position by Petrino, has taken a job with Nutt at Ole Miss, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.