These Razorbacks will never have it so easy in this spring’s football practices as they did Thursday, new Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino said.

Until the Hogs don pads Saturday, NCAA rules dictate today’s second day of spring drills have the same noncontact format as Thursday’s opener.

Yet Petrino promises today’s practice will be more difficult.

“ This will be the easiest practice we’ll have all spring, ” Petrino said after Thursday’s rain compelled the workout inside the Walker Pavilion. “ They’ve had time to prepare for it. They’ve got their playbooks for a week. Tomorrow we’ll run new plays. New defenses. New coverages. New things in special teams. So we’ll see who can carry it over from a meeting right on to the practice field. ”

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Moving the workout inside the limited-space facility forced Petrino to turn away fans who are allowed to watch all spring practices when outdoors.

“ We would rather be outside, ” Petrino said. “ And I wanted the fans to be out there and the players to be in front of the fans. It’s unfortunate it happened. ”

Weather permitting, the Razorbacks will practice outside at 4 p. m. today and in 10: 30 a. m. practices Saturday and Sunday before taking Monday off. They extend the allowed 15 practice dates through the April 26 spring game.

Though Petrino called it easy, the practice was conducted briskly.

The offseason conditioning program was fast-paced too, several players said.

“ It will make a man out of you, ” redshirt freshman Jerry Franklin said. “ You’ve got to be in shape just to make it through warmup around here. ”

Franklin may be one of the lucky ones. He’s been asked to gain weight, not lose it.

Recruited by the previous regime of coach Houston Nutt as a rangy, 6-2, 208-pound safety, Franklin moved to outside linebacker as he redshirted last fall. Now he’s the 227-pound first-team middle linebacker.

Wendel Davis, last year’s two- year letterman backup to graduated starter Weston Dacus, is missing the entire spring following knee surgery from an offseason injury.

“ It was kind of bittersweet because Wendel went down, ” Franklin said of his quick promotion to first team. “ I really liked looking up to him and learning plays from him. I really have to study now and hit the books. I have to learn it now since I am first-team. ”

Is he enjoying his mandated second helpings to bulk up while some teammates diet to slim down ?

“ Not really, ” Franklin said, noting his knife and fork awaited as practice ended. “ They kind of make you stuff yourself. I have to go eat now. A lot of chicken, a lot of mashed potatoes, a lot of vegetables. A lot of everything. ”

New linebackers coach Reggie Johnson, not arriving until winter, didn’t see the skinny safety back in August.

He saw a budding outside ‘ backer Johnson thinks can blossom inside.

“ We see size and speed, ” Johnson said. “ He’ll be 230-plus, 240 and he has excellent speed for his size. Jerry is a good athlete and a smart kid and we expect big things from him. ”

Of course it will take a while, though first-team reps may speed the process.

“ He’s doing OK, ” Johnson said, “ for the first day. ”

Asked if any individuals stood out, Petrino said one day in shorts is too early but did offer, “ I thought Michael Smith [the fourth-year junior tailback ] looked pretty quick. He’s a fast little guy. ”

Petrino was asked about sophomore wideout Marques Wade. Wade seemed to catch about everything thrown his way Thursday.

“ We expect Marques to be a player for us, ” Petrino said. “ He’s got size. He’s fast. He’s worked extremely hard in the offseason. He’s been in watching video as much as anybody. And his confidence level is up. ”

As the lone new quarterback among returning senior starter Casey Dick, redshirt freshman Nathan Dick and fifth-year senior letterman Alex Mortensen, sophomore Ryan Mallett naturally drew a media throng post practice.

Mallett is the former Texas High quarterback in Texarkana who transferred at semester from Michigan. Citing the December coaching change at Michigan that he didn’t fit new Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez’s system, Mallett is appealing to the NCAA to have his sophomore eligibility in 2008 rather than redshirting as Division I transfers must do.

Regarding the appeal, Mallett said, “ I haven’t heard anything yet, ” and that he must prepare this spring like he’ll be eligible whether he is or not.

For now, just practicing at Arkansas is enough for Mallett who grew up on the Arkansas side before eventually playing at Texas High.

“ It’s a childhood dream come true, ” Mallett said. “ So I was excited. I can’t wait to hopefully get on the field this year. ”