February 28, 2011 - 11:23pm
Mallett's decision to transfer came quick, was right decision
BY TIM ROHAN
INDIANAPOLIS — It didn’t take long for Ryan Mallett to decide he wanted out.
“I did talk to coach (Rich Rodriguez) for about 10 minutes and we kinda decided it would be best if I didn’t stay,” Mallett said of his decision to transfer after Rodriguez was hired to replace Lloyd Carr after the 2007 season.
As a true freshman, the 6-foot-6 signal caller threw for 892 yards and seven touchdowns in relief of Chad Henne. His future in the pro-style offense looked bright, but then Carr decided to retire.
Rodriguez’s spread-option offense was not suited for the immobile Mallett.
“I had a great experience at Michigan," Mallett said Saturday at the NFL Scouting Combine. “I met a lot of great people — coach Carr, coach (Scot) Loeffler — one of the main reasons I went there. And it was a great experience for me. I learned a lot of things. But the transition was because of the offense, is why I left to go to Arkansas.
“Coach Rodriguez had Denard (Robinson) do what he wanted to do. Obviously if you watch me play, I can’t do that. So I thought it was best if I went somewhere else.”
The Wolverines struggled at the quarterback position in 2008 as they transitioned from Carr’s to Rodriguez’s system. Then former Michigan quarterback Tate Forcier found varying success in 2009, before Robinson burst onto the scene in 2010 and showed what a quarterback could do in Rodriguez’s offense.
Mallett transferred to Arkansas and found success after he sat out the 2008 season due to transfer rules. In each of the past two seasons he has topped 3,600 yards passing and has thrown for more than 30 touchdowns. And he’s projected to be one of the top quarterbacks taken in April’s NFL Draft.
“It was the right decision for me,” he said.
