GREENWOOD — Growing up worshipping Arkansas Razorbacks quarterbacks Clint Stoerner and Matt Jones, Tyler Wilson dreamed big.

“Taking that snap count in front of 75, 000 people was something I’ve dreamed about, I promise,” Wilson said.

The Greenwood quarterback took a step closer to realizing that dream Wednesday when he signed to play football for the Razorbacks.

Wilson orally committed to Tulsa originally, but the arrival of new Arkansas Coach Bobby Petrino and a mutual attraction between the Razorbacks and the quarterback led Wilson to change his mind.

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“There’s no greater thing than being a quarterback for the Arkansas Razorbacks,” Wilson said.

That didn’t seem possible a few months ago. Wilson had zeroed in on Alabama, LSU, Oregon and Missouri, and there was almost zero chance he’d go to Arkansas because he wasn’t interested in playing in the offensive system Coach Houston Nutt used.

Wilson decided Tulsa, with its wide-open offense, was the best fit and gave the Golden Hurricane an oral commitment, but then Nutt resigned and eventually Petrino came on board with the Razorbacks.

Petrino intrigued the quarterback, and the possibility of playing baseball for the Razorbacks was enticing. A visit to Fayetteville and an ensuing scholarship offer sealed it for Wilson.

“When Coach Petrino was hired, I had a gut feeling that Arkansas was the place I needed to be,” Wilson said. “I was still thinking Tulsa, but I had a thought that maybe there’s a possibility here. I’d love to play in that system, and I saw what he did with [Louisville quarterback ] Brian Brohm and some of those other quarterbacks.”

Wilson, 6-3, 175, knows there will be plenty of competition at Arkansas. The Razorbacks return starter Casey Dick in 2008 and added Michigan transfer Ryan Mallett during the off season. Camden Fairview quarterback Jim Youngblood is part of this recruiting class as well.

None of that seemed to faze Wilson.

In a two-year career as a starter, Wilson led the Bulldogs to a 24-4 record and consecutive Class 5 A state titles while throwing for 8, 161 yards and 93 touchdowns with only 28 interceptions.

Like his predecessor at Greenwood, Daniel Stegall, Wilson’s college football future could take a detour because of professional baseball. Stegall signed to play quarterback for the University of Miami, but he never made it on campus after agreeing to terms with the New York Mets and is playing in the minors.

“Right now I just plan on playing football, but things can change as well,” said Wilson, a hard-throwing pitcher likely to be selected in the 2008 Major-League Draft. “The draft’s a goofy thing. You never know how it’s going to turn out.”