There is the widely assumed thought that even if Carr had returned for 2008, we would have been in trouble given that the QBs turned out to be Threet and Sheridan. It seems to be the consensus of those in the know that Mallett was gone when Mustain left Arkansas and I can buy that. I'm not convinced he would have been a huge success despite his obvious physical tools.
Were there any other recruiting targets that could have come in once Mallett transfered? In the alternate universe where Carr doesn't retire, would he really have been choosing between Threet and Cone (I don't believe Sheridan gets into the picture under Carr)? I know that Weinke decommitted once Carr retired, but his Rivals ranking was lower than Threet's. Looking at Rivals, it looks like the #2 and #3 pro-style qbs had UM interest (Crist and Glennon). Did we have a chance to get one of those guys late? Would it really have been the Threet and Coner show?