Aside from his personal transgressions, Bobby Petrino did build an arsenal at Arkansas and left a full cupboard, particularly offensively, for interim (if that’s what they call him) coach John L. Smith. Tyler Wilson is primed for an All-American, and even possible Heisman Trophy year. Wilson, who threw for 3,638 yards last year with 24 touchdowns and just six interceptions, looks like he’s going to pick up where he left off and then some. In the spring game, Wilson was 31-for-41 for 467 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. Granted, he was playing against his second team defense, and the Hogs are not known for their defense, but he was right on the money with most of his passes.
He lost his two leading receivers from last year, Jarius Wright and Joe Adams, but Cobi Hamilton, who caught 34 passes for 542 yards and four touchdowns last year, is back. Hamilton caught 11 passes for 156 yards in the spring game and looked every bit as good as Wright and Adams. They’ve got other weapons. Tight end Chris Gragg is one of them. He caught nine balls for 130 yards in the spring game with two TDs including a 60-yarder which was a beautiful catch and run by Gragg off a pass from Wilson. Gragg is going to be All-SEC maybe All-American. He’s that good. He’s a converted wide receiver who has nice size (6’3″, 236) and tremendous athletic ability. Marquel Wade is another weapon. He caught six passes for 136 yards and one 48-yard TD. He looks like he can fill Adams’ role at slot receiver. He’s a guy who can go the distance on a short pass. Julian Horton is another talented receiver. He caught four passes for 48 yards in the spring game. He’s another good target. Keante Minor, Javontee Herndon and Maudrecus Humphrey are three others who can get it done on the perimeter.

The running game looks outstanding as well. Knile Davis is back. He only had one carry in the spring game, but he ran a 4.33 40 prior to the spring, so his speed is definitely back. He was a major force in 2010 running  for 1,300 yards. He’s coming back from a broken ankle suffered prior to last season. He looks ready to go. Two other backs who will play major roles are Ronnie Wingo, Jr. and Dennis Johnson. Wingo ran for 88 yards in the spring game and Johnson 73. Wingo has that burstability; the ability to break the long one. Johnson is a power back with good speed. The running game is well stocked. The offensive line looked solid. They’ll be opening a lot of holes for Davis and company, and giving Wilson plenty of time to throw. Senior tackle Jason Peacock (6’4″, 305) is the leader of the group.

Another key component to the offense is offensive coordinator Paul Petrino, Bobby’s brother who has that same attacking, quick striking style that his brother had. He can also pound you with his running game and possession passing. The offense is exceptional.

Defense has always been  the question mark for the Hogs, and has probably kept them from winning an SEC title under Petrino. But they have been building up the talent and look better on defense. They have a first year defensive coordinator in Paul Haynes, who brings an aggressive, attacking style to the defense. Like some of the linebackers, particularly Tenarius Wright (6’2″,252) and Robert Atiga (6’3″, 240). Safety Ross Rasner (6’0″, 212) can lay the wood. Aggressive player who seems to be always around the ball.  They have good players in the secondary in corners Tervin Mitchell (6’0″,192) and Darius Winston (6’0″,191). Don’t know if this kid will be a starter, but Kaelon Kelleybrew, a cornerback, was all over the field in the spring game and had a nice int.

Do the Hogs have enough defense this year? They’re competent enough defensively to win a lot of ball games because that offense is so good. Didn’t know if Arkansas could beat Alabama and LSU this year, even at home. But after watching them in the spring game, they have a very good shot, if Wilson and the offensive skill players stay healthy.

The schedule is very favorable with Alabama at Fayetteville on Sept. 15 and LSU coming to Fayetteville on Nov.23, the Friday after Thanksgiving. The Hogs have to travel to A&M (Sept. 29) and Auburn (Oct.6) in consecutive weeks, and they have to go to South Carolina (Nov.10) and State (Nov. 17). But there is a lot to like about this team. This could be the year of the Hogs. They are explosive and so talented offensively and while not dominant on defense, they have about 10 or 15 good players. If their defense can hold their own and  they stay healthy, the Razorbacks have a chance to be very special: play in Atlanta and play for it all.

Aaron Murray should be primed for a stellar year as a redshirt junior qb. Murray completed 238-of-403 passes (59%) for 3,149 yards, 35 TDs and 14 ints. Murray is explosive and very good, but he can throw an interception at times, too. Murray needs to be consistent for the Bulldogs to excel this year. Isaiah Crowell is back at tailback after running for 901 yards last year. He’s a bit of a head case, can get in trouble and get suspended like several of Richt’s players do, but he can be a pretty explosive back. Liked what I saw out of Richard Samuel at running back. Ken Malcome looks like a pretty good back. Incoming freshman Keith Marshall was the number one running back in the country by Rivals in the 2012 class, so he should be a factor. Offensive line looks pretty solid. Wide receiver position is led by senior Tavarres King, who caught 47 passes for 705 yards and eight TDs last year. Malcolm Mitchell is also back. He caught 45 passes for 665 yards and four TDs. Don’t think Mitchell is suspended. Believe he was hurt in spring game. Kind of hard to keep up with Georgia’s suspensions.
On defense, really like nose guard Kwame Geathers. Looks like he could be a force. Ramik Wilson, a linebacker, had seven tackles, two for loss, and an interception that he returned 19 yards in the spring game. Bacarri Rambo is an excellent safety, but he’s going to be suspended for the first four games of the season. Linebacker Alex Ogletree is another stellar guy, but he’s suspended for at least two games in 2012 maybe more.

Georgia looks like a very good team; they just need to stay out of trouble. They’re at Missouri, at South Carolina, at Kentucky and at Auburn. They play Vandy, Tennessee, and Ole Miss at home. Florida is in Jacksonville. Ga. Tech game in Athens. Buffalo, Florida Atlantic and Georgia Southern are at home. Georgia Southern is a legitimate team, at least they were last year, ask Alabama. So the ‘Dawgs better be ready to play in that game.

Pretty manageable schedule. Don’t play Alabama, Arkansas or LSU. Things set up pretty nicely. South Carolina game (10/6) is big. There are tough games in there, don’t get me wrong, but if the ‘Dawgs can stay healthy, Murray especially, and get back to full strength from suspensions and stay out of trouble, it could be a pretty special season for them. Don’t think they can beat the West champion, but they can certainly win the East if they can get by South Carolina.

(Aaron Murray primed for big season.)

The front seven for LSU on defense is very imposing led by defensive end Sam Montgomery. Miles was boasting about his front seven in his post-spring game press conference. Likes his secondary a lot, too. Secondary outstanding with the talented Tyrann Mathieu back at corner and safety Eric Reed also back. Ronald Martin had a pick in the game from the dbackfield. Could be a name to watch this year.
Georgia transfer Zach Mettenberger has taken over at quarterback. He had a solid spring game completing 14-of-25 for 270 yards and two touchdowns. He threw a 49-yard TD pass to wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. He also threw an 18-yard TD pass to senior wideout Russell Shephard. Another weapon on the outside is Jarvis Landry, who caught six passes for 120 yards, including a 54-yarder from Mettenberger, which wasn’t a TD, but led the team to a score.

Running back is loaded with Alfred Blue, who ran for 73 yards on nine carries in the spring game, the powerful Kenny Hilliard, who ran for 40 on eight carries, and the tough Spencer Ware, who ran for 51 yards on eight carries. Steven Rivers will backup Mettenberger. He was six-for-17 for 75 yards and an int.

Drew Alleman is back to place kick. He was two-for-three with makes from 47 and 44 yards. Brad Wing is back to punt. Kicking game looks solid. Mathieu will return punts and we all know how lethal he can be returning punts.

LSU is on a mission this year to redeem themselves from last year’s 21-0 loss to ‘Bama in the BCS National Championship game. They start out with North Texas, Washington and Idaho at home, then go to Auburn, which will be a terrific matchup-AU looks good, then at home vs Towson (didn’t even know they had a football team), then at Florida, at home against South Carolina, at Texas A&M, ‘Bama, State and Ole Miss at home, then at Arkansas to end the season. No wonder they scheduled pretty much a powder puff non-conference schedule; the SEC games are brutal. At AU, Florida, A&M, and Arkansas are major challenges. Home games with ‘Bama and South Carolina very difficult. Think they’ll beat Florida, A&M, and South Carolina and could edge out Auburn. ‘Bama and Arkansas will be difficult, though they could win those game; they have the talent, if they can stay healthy at key positions, though they have more quality depth than most teams in the country. Getting out of that SEC schedule with 11-12 wins would be terrific for the Bengal Tigers. They said last year that this was the year they were really going to shine, even though last year was pretty outstanding until the last game. They should be outstanding this year; it’s just going to be a difficult schedule. They could go 11-2, or, if they get injured at key positions, and finish 9-4. It never is easy for any team in the SEC. The talent is certainly there at LSU to make a run, but the schedule is pretty precarious. Mettenberger is going to have to be good, that’s for sure. He is highly talented, but was a head case at Georgia, and got kicked off the team for an assault charge two years ago. We’ll see how he responds this season.

(The Honey Badger is ready to make another title run.)

Liked what I saw out of running back Mike Blakely. Blakely ran for 65 yards on five carries, including a 25-yard scamper for a score. Blakely has both power and the speed. He’s 190 pounds, and looks very strong. Has tremendous quickness and speed. AU fans are going to like him. Liked what I saw out of Kiehl Frazier also. He looks like the quarterback for the 2012 team. He was seven-of-nine for 92 yards. He had three really nice throws: one, a 19-yarder to Emory Blake, then on one drive, a 20-yarder to Trovon Reed and a 25-yarder to Emory Blake, which set up a Corey Grant four yard TD run.
Grant looks good. Looks more like McCalebb. A little bit smaller than Blakely, but extreme quickness and speed. Was highly rated coming out of Opelika High School. Was a state champion track runner. Can break it if he gets in space. We know Onterio McCalebb can do that, and Tre Mason is excellent. The Auburn backfield is better off than it would be with Michael Dyer. I think a couple of these guys are better than Dyer. And he was a cancer to the team. I’d take Blakely over Dyer for sure. He can break the long one. He’s faster than Dyer. Not sure I wouldn’t take Mason over Dyer either. Grant, and, of course, McCalebb can go the distance. McCalebb still has trouble breaking tackles. He’s just not an in-between  the tackles runner.

Think Frazier is the answer at qb. There is no doubt in my mind that he’s the best one out there. Pike just not ready yet, and Moseley is average to me. Frazier’s arm is stronger this spring, he’s throwing it with more zip, and he has that tremendous running ability. Line looks good. Really like Reese Dismukes at center. He’s going to be a hoss. Chris Slade and Kyle Westerman at guards will be a force. Greg Robinson, Thomas O’Reilly and John Sullen are going to be excellent at tackle. The whole line looks good. With 11 guys in the past two years’ recruiting classes, including seven in this year’s class, five four-stars and two high three-stars by Rivals, this is going to be an exceptional line for the next four to five years. Two of those incoming frosh linemen, tackles Jordan Diamond and Avery Young, are five-stars by Scout. They’re high four- stars by Rivals. Think both of them can play this year adding depth and maybe beating somebody out to start.

Wide out looks pretty solid. Lutz is out till August with an injury, but you know he’ll produce at Hback/tight end. Emory Blake is going to be outstanding as he looks to excel this year and really improve his draft stock with an outstanding senior year. It’s pretty impressive he came back and didn’t take a risk in the draft this year. It’s going to pay off for him. Darvin Adams left after his junior year, and it hasn’t seemed to work out for him. Blake made a good decision. His father being a former NFL quarterback must have advised him wisely to stay. Trovon Reed looks like he’s ready to step up and be the electrifying player most thought he would be when he came to The Plains. He looks ready to break out. I like Quan Bray a lot. He just looks like an athlete. He’ll be fantastic on punt return and will help in the passing game. McCalebb can take it the distance on kickoffs as he did against Alabama last year. Both are explosive return men. This is the last chance for Travante Stallworth and DeAngelo Benton to step up. They’re both seniors. Been touted as players in the past, but haven’t produced so far. They’re seniors, so this is their last chance. They need to make the most of it. Jaylen Denson, at 6’3″, 197, is a player. Really like him. Think he’ll help a lot both possession-wise and as a deep threat. Has all the tools to be a stellar player.

Defense is ready to excel this year under coordinator Brian Van Gorder. Offense looked good under oc Scott Loeffler and the defense is going to be more aggressive and hard-hitting this year under Van Gorder. Like the dends, Corey Lemonier, Dee Ford and Nosa Eguae, who was hurt this spring, but should be back in a month and a half and ready for fall camp. There’s more talent there. Jeffrey Whitaker is a tank at defensive tackle. Ken Carter should be good at tackle as well. Linebacker a little thin. Another guy who’s going to stand out this year at dend/olb is LaDarius Owens. Really like him a lot. Big, physical, aggressive, and can lay the wood. Darren Bates is an underrated player. Think he’ll have a very good year at olb. Jonathan Evans didn’t participate in the spring game. He’ll be OK for the fall. Kris Frost didn’t participate either, but he’ll be a factor in the fall. Frost was a five-star by some services in 2011. Heard a lot of good things about Frost. Two four-stars who are coming in this fall, Cassanova McKinzy (6’2″, 224) and Javiere Mitchell (6’2″, 197), probably need to help with depth. Chris Landrum, a 6’3″, 235 redshirt frosh, was a high, three-star, so he should help as well. There are already three linebackers committed for the 2013 class. One four-star, Trey Johnson (6’1″, 220), a high three-star, Cameron Toney (6’3″, 225), and unranked Jarrad Davis (6’2″, 200).

I really like the secondary. Jermaine Whitehead is stellar. I see him becoming an All-American; maybe this year. T’Sharvin Bell was out this spring, and hopefully he’ll be back in the fall. I believe it was a knee injury. But Jonathan Rose and Chris Davis look like excellent cover corners. Look like excellent players overall. Robenson Therezie can play at safety. Demetruce McNeil can play. Ready to see what Enrique Florence can do. High four-star player last year. There are some stellar players in the secondary. Another linebacker I left out was Justin Garrett. He looks like a player. Kicking game should be good with Cody Parkey. Punter Steven Clark needs to be better this year.

Huge game to start off the season Sept. 1 versus Clemson in the Georgia Dome. Going to watch Clemson spring game in the coming days and will have a report on them. Know they have Sammy Watkins, the fantastic sophomore wide out, so Davis, Bell and Rose will have their hands full. Clemson with a lot of talent for sure. Dabo Sweeney has recruited well. Quarterback Taj Bell will be back and he should be ready for a big year. That game will be huge. Would be a huge momentum builder to get that first one under the belt. Then at State in another huge game in week two. After La Monroe at home, LSU and Arkansas come to Jordan-Hare. Then it’s at Ole Miss, at Vandy, vs. Texas A&M, New Mexico State and Georgia at home, Alabama A&M at home and ‘Bama in Tuscaloosa.

There are some huge matchups on the schedule. Could be a 10-win season if everything goes right with the future looking very bright. Get by Clemson, LSU and Arkansas and it could be a huge season. So many big games. Like this team a lot. If Frazier can come through and the team stays relatively healthy 2012 could be a special year.

(Mike Blakely was outstanding in the spring game.)

The first guy who stood out to me physically was Jeoffrey Pagan. The 6’4″, 285 pound sophomore defensive end is the ultimate rig. Wow, what a physique. He’s just powerful. He’s behind Ed Stinson and Damion Square right now, and both are excellent players, but he should have an impact this fall.
The most impressive playmakers on the field to me were in the secondary. Vinnie Sunseri is a winner. He had a fumble recovery for a touchdown and an interception which he returned for significant yards. He also recorded five tackles. He’s always been a hitter, but he’s a big time playmaker at safety as well. Loved how Robert Lester and Hasean (can’t call him Ha Ha) Clinton-Dix looked as well. Both had ints. Deion Belue looks like he’s got some improving to do, but he has potential at corner. Dee Milliner and John Fulton will play a lot at corner also. Milliner excellent. Fulton looks pretty good, too. Linebackers looked very solid. OLB Adrian Hubbard was outstanding with seven tackles, four for losses of 22 yards and three sacks. Now those are productive numbers. Stinson played very well with six stops. C.J. Mosley looks like he’s back to form from some injuries last year. He had 10 tackles, two for loss. And Trey Depriest is a machine out there. Defense doesn’t have as much experience as they had a year ago, but there is certainly tons of talent. They’ll be very good. Wow, what a job S does recruiting. The talent is just phenomenal.

A.J. played pretty well though he did throw three interceptions, but that’s against what’s going to be one of the best, if not the best, secondaries in the country; particularly at safety. He was 29-of-42 for 3o4 yards and two TDs. He’s still a little inconsistent at times, but new offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier can work out some of those kinks in August and have A.J. primed and ready for Michigan, Sept. 1 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Tx. One of A.J.’s TDs was to Kenny Bell for 47 yards. Bell played very well. Looks like he’ll be a force this year out wide. Christion Jones caught the other, a 17-yard toss. Jones is outstanding and looks like he could be an electric punt returner. Chris Black, the early enrollee frosh, is a player. Kevin Norwood will be too. If DeAndrew White and Duron Carter can ever get it together, they’ll be players. Liked what I saw out of Michael Williams. Tremendous athlete at tight end. Drops it every now and then, still needs to hone it up a little, but could be primed for very important role in offense.

Phillip Sims played a fantastic game. It’s too bad he’s leaving, but he wants to start somewhere and he seems to have some family health issues up in Virginia. Looks like he’ll be at UVA in the fall. He may play next year if he gets a waiver from the NCAA or he will have to sit with two years left to play. Phillip Ely has potential, so we’ll see how he develops. He was a four star like McCarron coming out of high school, so he’s good. Incoming 5.6 three-star frosh qb Alex Morris (6’3″, 235) from Texas will have to be ready if there is any problem with injuries at qb.

Liked what I saw out of T.J. Yeldon. He’s an excellent back. He ran for 88 yards and caught five balls for 91 yards and a 50-yard TD on a beautiful catch and run. He’s got tremendous speed and quickness. Still runs too upright, but that’s who he is and S doesn’t seem to have a problem with it. Just think he might get clocked a few times in the fall. S may work with him a little on that. Would like to see Eddie Lacy get back and solidify the backfield. Eddie’s a load at 220 and has a chance to have a terrific year. With Yeldon, Jalston Fowler and the explosive Dee Hart, that makes up an impressive group of backs.

Oline is stellar. Barrett may win another Outland, at center this time. Unquestioned leader. Anthony Steen is outstanding at guard, and Cyrus Kouandijo is back from injury. Cyrus with loads of potential. Would like to see his brother Arie get back, too. That would solidify the line even more. D.J. Fluker will be one of the best in the country at right tackle and so will Chance Warmack at right guard. Need to build a little more depth there, but the starters are superb.

I see another chance at at a national title. Opener with Michigan will be challenging but winnable. At Arkansas third game of the season (9-15-12). S should beat John L. Smith. Arkansas with a lot of talent, but without Petrino, don’t think they’ll be as good as they could have been. Ole Miss at home (9/29, win), open , then at Missouri (10-13), at Tennessee (10-2o), State at home (10-27), then the Tide goes to Baton Rouge on Nov.3. Texas A&M at home on 11/10, Western Carolina (11-17) at home, and finish with AU at home on 11/24. Couple of non-conference games against Western Kentucky and Florida Atlantic are not a problem if Tide just makes it to the stadium. S won’t have a problem with that.

Arkansas a potential problem, and at Mizzou and Tennessee challenging. UT better and Mizzou has an excellent quarterback, James Franklin. Of course, the battle in Baton Rouge will be colossal again. They’re very good and are better at quarterback this year with Zach Mettenberger. They’re pretty loaded everywhere else.

So there’s no guarantee for an SEC title and another national title. That’s hard to do any year, but this should be an excellent football team as long as A.J. stays healthy and consistent. See 12-13 wins, maybe 14. That’s just the way it is in Tuscaloosa.

(Jeoffrey Pagan is a beast.)