FAYETTEVILLE — Nick Petrino will always be a coach's son.

And, for most of his life, a quarterback.

His father, Arkansas Coach Bobby Petrino, made sure of that from an early age.

"He had me doing three- and five-step drops when I was 5- or 6-years-old," said Nick Petrino, now a backup quarterback for his father at Arkansas.

It's not hard to believe when considering Bobby Petrino's demeanor and attention to detail as an offensive guru in the college and professional ranks. Plus, the skill set and knowledge of being a quarterback runs through the coach's veins. After all, Bobby was a successful quarterback at Carroll College in Montana during the 1980s, when he played for his father, Bob Petrino, Sr.

For the Petrinos, football is all in the family and it's translated into success. Nick Petrino led Trinity (Louisville, Ky.) High School to two state championships and threw for 5,656 yards and 62 touchdowns during that time. He's hopped from college to college, however, after high school. After a season as a transfer redshirt, Petrino is finally on the field for the Razorbacks. He's impressed with his decision-making, even while some may question whether he's actually a viable option on the Division I level.

Even so, he's proven to be very effective in spring scrimmages. Unofficially, he completed 23 of 29 passes for 304 yards and 4 touchdowns In two spring scrimmages while mainly leading the third-team offense.

Slowly, and perhaps still cautiously, heads have turned.

"The word on Nick was that he was out here and he was a part-time coach or something, and that's not true," offensive coordinator Garrick McGee said. "Nick wasn't eligible to play last year because he transferred in and now that he is eligible to play, he's really concentrating and focusing on moving the team. He's a smart player and he's a coach's son, so he does understand football and he has a good demeanor as a quarterback."

Nick Petrino has dealt with criticism before. At 5-foot-11, he doesn't have the build of a top-tier quarterback in the Southeastern Conference. A quick eye test provides that perception, especially with linemen towering over him in the huddle.

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But that's not slowing him down.

"I've just been short, but I think the advantage I have is I know the game of football real well," he said. "I understand what the defense is doing. I understand what we're doing on offense. That really helps me out and gives me an advantage sometimes, because I know what's going on. It just clicks quickly for me."

He has also used his obvious ties with his father to improve his game and his understanding of the offense.

"Any time we're together, football comes up. It's just natural," he said. "Both of us, our whole lives, have been football."

The story may sound a tad familiar. In Helena, Mont., Bobby Petrino used to race to the practice field at Carroll College as a child to watch his father, Bob Sr., coach.

These days, Nick Petrino walks into his father's office at the Broyles Athletic Complex to watch film between classes.

"I learned a lot about defenses that I never knew — certain tips and teases to blitzes," Nick said. "I pretty much absorbed as much information as I could."

And he might just have the best understanding of the offense than any Razorback. Newcomer Jacoby Walker, who enrolled at the university in January, has struggled at times in the system. He misses receivers, doesn't follow routes and his timing has been off. He threw two interceptions in his first three pass attempts Friday in a scrimmage.

Nick Petrino said he's taken on a mentor role with Walker. The two trade text messages and phone calls off the field and the main topic, obviously, is football.

"I'm eager to help anybody out," Nick said.

"Nick's a really smart guy," said Tyler Wilson, the Razorbacks' No.1 quarterback with Ryan Mallett out of action this spring. "He definitely understands things."

Simply put, when Walker has questions, the coach's son has answers.

Mallett, forced to sit on the sideline with a broken left foot this spring, appreciates an additional voice in the film room. It can be "really tough" learning and adjusting to Bobby Petrino's offense as a newcomer, Wilson added.

"Me and Nick are a lot alike," Mallett said. "We understand the game and he's really helping Jacoby as far as learning the plays, the protections. He does the same thing I do in the classroom with the younger guys.

"To have two older guys that know what's going on, it really helps some of the other guys."

And you can credit Bobby Petrino for instilling that knowledge in his son, who hope to one day be a coach like his father and grandfather.

"Nick’s done a nice job," Bobby Petrino said. "He really understands the offense. He knows how to do things at the line of scrimmage. He makes good decisions and has the ability to throw the ball deep and he’s made some plays and thrown some touchdown passes."

Surely, Nick has heard the criticism and the praise before from his father.

"At home, we're always talking about it. Football is part of our life," the 21-year-old said. "That's what we are."