Sending a message

BY TOM MURPHY

Posted on Thursday, February 7, 2008

URL: http://www.wholehogsports.com/adg/216040/

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas finally beat Southern California at something Wednesday, and new coach Bobby Petrino hopes it sends a message to coaches who have raided Arkansas for top talent in recent years.

“Our No. 1 objective for this class was to make sure we kept the best players in the state of Arkansas to come to the University of Arkansas,” Bobby Petrino said.

Objective accomplished, in dramatic fashion.

Petrino’s first signing day was highlighted when Central Arkansas Christian skill athlete Joe Adams switched his commitment from Southern California and signed with Arkansas in a morning news conference Wednesday.

Adams’ signing gave Arkansas 15 in-state signees, including every in-state player offered a scholarship by the new coaching staff.

Offensive coordinator Paul Petrino said the potential impact of Adam’s signing goes further than healing some of the wounds Arkansas fans have felt after two embarrassing losses to USC in 2005 and 2006 and the loss of three celebrated players — Springdale’s Damian Williams and Mitch Mustain, who transferred to USC before last season, and Pulaski Academy’s Broderick Green, who signed with USC out of high school.

“Now that wall’s put around the state, you keep USC and keep all those people out of here and they know when there’s a great player here, they’re going to be a Razorback,” Paul Petrino said.

“They’re not going to Auburn and Southern Cal and wherever else,” recruiting coordinator Tim Horton said. “Really that’s happened the last few years, and we’re really pleased we were able to put a stop to that.”

Sewing up the state’s borders was Petrino’s goal, despite having only Horton and Bobby Allen carrying over from the Houston Nutt regime, and the result was a 26-member class for the Razorbacks that is headlined by superb ball carriers, standout receivers and quality quarterbacks.

“We put a lot of work into this class in a short period of time,” Petrino said. “It’s nice for the day to come and the fax machine to be lit up today.”

Adding Adams to a group that included top running back De’Anthony Curtis as part of a quartet of future Razorbacks from Camden Fairview, and a skilled foursome from Warren that featured Jarius Wright and Basmine Jones, gave the new Petrino offensive system some key in-state talent to work with in 2008.

“To get [Adams ] to join that class, I think it just really finished it off and made it a great class,” Paul Petrino said. “This [number of skill players ] is what we try to get because we’re all about, we call it FTS, Feed the Studs. We’re as much about calling plays for players as we are just calling plays.”

“We’re real pleased, but not just with Joe,” Horton said. “We’re very fortunate because it was a really good year in the state of Arkansas.”

The class features 13 certain offensive players, 9 defensive players and 4 players classified as athletes who could wind up on either side of the ball. Scout. com rated Arkansas’ class No 23 nationally, and ranked the Razorbacks No. 6 in the SEC. Rivals. com rated the Razorbacks’ class ninth in the SEC and No. 37 overall. Offensive talent abounds, but the defensive playmakers cannot be overlooked, including some defensive backs who might get the chance to play in 2008. Secondary coach Lorenzo Ward pointed out the trio of safety Elton Ford of Alpharetta, Ga.; Tramain Thomas of Winnie, Texas; and Jerico Nelson of Destrehan, La., as potential early contributors. “We’re very happy with the group we’ve got,” Ward said. “I love hitters, and all the guys we’ve signed in the secondary are hitters. “ Getting Tramain Thomas in this class, watching him play basketball and seeing his skill, I think Tramain Thomas is a name you’ll hear for the next four years in Fayetteville. He’s a guy on the corner spot who I think can play at the next level. “ Elton Ford is a big-time hitter who I think will be a great safety for us. He’s physical, he can run and he’s a smart kid.”

The class includes three quarterbacks: Tyler Wilson of Greenwood, Jim Youngblood of Camden Fairview and Ryan Mallett, a January enrollee whose scholarship counts with this class. The group of running backs includes the blue-chipper Curtis, Dennis Johnson of Texarkana and Khiry Battle of Dacula, Ga., who is listed as an athlete. Signing skill players was a priority for Petrino. Not only does his offensive scheme emphasize receivers, but Arkansas is starting over on offense, needing to replace the likes of all-time leading rusher Darren McFadden, running back Felix Jones, fullback Peyton Hillis and wide receiver Marcus Monk, the school’s all-time leader in touchdown receptions. “With the transition of offense, it was real important for us to take a great look at receivers... and some of them will have to come in and play early,” Bobby Petrino said.