Ryan Mallett Speaks... Positively About Michigan

Submitted by MGoShoe on

A frequent recipient of MGoBlogerati disdain, Ryan Mallett just may have undergone a fairly significant maturation since his matriculation at Arkansas.  Check out this article in which he credits Michigan and in particular Lloyd Carr and Chad Henne as major factors in his current success.

Mallett, who has two seasons of college eligibility remaining, said his leadership skills have been shaped by Michigan and Arkansas. "When I first went to Michigan I was young," said Mallett, 22, who missed the Razorbacks' spring practices because of the foot injury. "I had a great guy in front of me in Chad Henne. He was a very good leader and I watched him and I learned from him.

"I was still young when I came here (to Arkansas). Going under the tutelage of coach Carr and (Arkansas) coach (Bobby) Petrino -- they really helped me understand what I need to do. I've always felt I've been a leader, but I've just matured with the direction of those coaches."

Mallett...said he signed to play for Michigan because he "had fallen in love with the campus and the coaches."

Perhaps with age and experience Mallett has undergone his own transformation to complement his transfer. Meanwhile, with the Heisman campaign underway, Mallett is surely receiving some significant public relations coaching from Arkansas.  Of course, both can be true, can't they?

Magnus

July 16th, 2010 at 8:45 AM ^

It's not a new style of football.  It's been around in college for 20 years.  If the "new style" is the zone read option, then don't hold your breath.  Just about every NFL team has a defensive end/outside linebacker who's just as fast as those read option QBs, and oh by the way, will body slam your $15 million quarterback when he gets ahold of him.  The "Wildcat" or zone read option might work in spurts, but pro-style QBs and offenses are here to stay.

Tater

July 16th, 2010 at 9:03 AM ^

Michigan was left with some talent, but, in honor of the British Open, the Birthplace of Golf,and their adage about wind and rain, I see 2008 and post-injury 2009 this way:

Nae Quarterback, nae victories.

e.go.blue

July 15th, 2010 at 9:27 PM ^

...for using maturation and matriculation in the same sentence.

But seriously, always nice to get some positive press...even if it's regarding the last administration.

ctmaizenblue

July 15th, 2010 at 9:29 PM ^

Glad to see that he has matured.  Also glad to see an article where a player who left during the transition speaks positively of M. 

But, I am not jumping back on the Mallett  fan bus. 

alabluema

July 15th, 2010 at 10:06 PM ^

This isn't really Mallett related, but I'll be curious to see what happens with John Wienke, the qb from a small school who signed with Michigan but then switched to Iowa when Lloyd retired. He was another one of those prototypical pro-type quarterbacks, but obviously without the hype and raw talent of Mallett.

Njia

July 15th, 2010 at 10:09 PM ^

How does he get two more seasons? Wouldn't he have sacrificed a season due to his transfer?



I never had any doubt he'd be a great quarterback. I'm glad he seems to be maturing. That was the thing most of us probably thought he was missing most.

Magnus

July 15th, 2010 at 10:36 PM ^

I still don't like Mallett.  There were too many run-ins with teammates and coaches, too many stories I heard about other things.  I do hope that he's matured, but I won't be rooting for him anytime soon.

MGoSuck

July 15th, 2010 at 10:47 PM ^

but my buddy swears up and down about how Mallet never did anything except whine and complain about not get enough playing time and be completely immature. All I see is a prototypical pro-style QB, and I can't blame him for leaving, but I too have only heard bad things about his stay at Michigan.

tk47

July 16th, 2010 at 8:04 AM ^

that Carr threw Mallet his transfer papers during that 2007 season.  It may have just been a motivational tactic, but if it's true (which I don't know if it is), it's an indication that things weren't exactly peachy between him and the rest of the team/coaches.

We all saw Manningham getting pissed and yelling at him on the sidelines during that '07 Wisconsin game, so it's not hard to imagine a bad overall situation there...

maizenbluenc

July 16th, 2010 at 8:13 AM ^

Eh, number 1 or number 2 QB recruit in the country comes in with a big head on his shoulders, and needs a year or two to get "adjusted".  You want these guys cocky and confident, but that comes with the price tag of having to humble them into team players. (It's not like he was a T.O. or something.)

I wouldn't be surprised if Lloyd did sit him down and straighten him out, and that probably is exactly some of the learning Ryan is now referring to.

Whether this is earnest, or is a PR campaign for Heisman, the acknowledgment in the press is nice.

dakotapalm

July 15th, 2010 at 10:42 PM ^

What an interesting QB recruiting class. I believe Mallett, Clausen and Will Korn were the top three that year.

Mallett is obviously still playing and hoping to become elite at the school he has transferred to.

Clausen left a year early, perhaps wisely, perhaps unwisely, and will hope to become the Panthers QB by the end of the year.

Will Korn couldn't crack Clemson's starting lineup and has transferred to Marshall.

Don

July 16th, 2010 at 9:09 AM ^

Ryan Mallett was perfectly positioned to take shot after shot at RR after he left; it wouldn't have affected his playing status at Arkansas in the least, and there would have been plenty of receptive ears in Fayetteville and across the country if he had done so. Instead, every time Ryan was asked about RR, he had nothing bad to say about him.

There's plenty of evidence that Mallett was a bit of a dick while he was here, but this just in: 19-yr old kids do have a tendency to be immature. That's why it's called "maturation." It happens every day.

M-Wolverine

July 16th, 2010 at 10:08 AM ^

Talented but cocky freshman acts like a dick, then though the time of becoming an upperclassman, matures and becomes a better overall person.  Wow, that never happens, does it? At Michigan, or anywhere else...

People are so quick to paint with broad brushes...then get on the jock of some guy they loved...as a senior...but was a troublemaker as an underclassman.  (If I had a dime for every player Lloyd, Bo, etc. threw transfer papers at that later became All-Big Ten and loved by his coach....).