By Robbie Neiswanger
Arkansas News Bureau • rneiswanger@arkansasnews.com
FAYETTEVILLE — The deadline for underclassmen to declare for the 2010 NFL Draft is a week away, but Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett may not need much longer to make his intentions known.
According to Mallett’s mother, Debbie Mallett, the sophomore is “pretty close” to revealing his plans for next season. Debbie Mallett said her son, who took a couple of days off to get away after the Liberty Bowl, drove back to Fayetteville on Wednesday and has a good grasp on his future.
“I think he’s pretty much made up his mind,” Debbie Mallett said. “I don’t know when he’s going to announce it, but I think he’s getting pretty close.”
Debbie Mallett declined to discuss which way her son was leaning, saying it was up to Mallett. However, the family did discuss reasons to stay at Arkansas for the 2010 season and leave school for the draft.
Debbie Mallett said the family also weighed the pros and cons of both options.
“I think there would be more negatives for him coming out right now than there would be for him staying,” Debbie Mallett said.
Is that the way her son feels? Arkansas fans certainly hope so. But the answer remains unknown.
Mallett, who has been peppered by questions everywhere he turned the past few weeks, has been mum on the subject. He answered questions leading up to the Liberty Bowl by simply saying he wouldn’t think about the NFL until after the season ended.
Statistically, Mallett did not turn in one of his best performances in Arkansas’ 20-17 overtime win against East Carolina on Jan. 2 but was named the game’s most valuable player. He completed 15 of 36 passes for 202 yards with one touchdown pass and was asked about the NFL Draft afterward.
“I’m going to celebrate tonight with my teammates,” Mallett said. “I promise I’ll let you know when I decide to do something. You won’t be the last.”
Offensive coordinator Garrick McGee was also asked about Mallett’s future. McGee said he would give the quarterback his opinion in the days after the game.
“There are challenges in the NFL that you have to be prepared for,” McGee said. “And if you decide to go in the NFL you have to understand what it’s going to be like to be an NFL quarterback.”
Mallett finished the 2009 season with the most prolific passing marks in school history. He set or tied 16 school records, including passing yards in a season (3,627) and touchdown passes in a season (30).
His decision continued to garner interest Thursday, especially after another Southeastern Conference quarterback tossed his name into the NFL Draft. Ole Miss’ Jevan Snead will turn pro despite a difficult junior season and joins Notre Dame’s Jimmy Clausen as underclassmen at the quarterback position.
Debbie Mallett said she, too, has been asked plenty about her son’s future this month. She noticed the questions started to wear on Mallett when she watched his postgame comments after the Liberty Bowl.
“I can understand why he wanted to get away,” Debbie Mallett said. “I know he got it from every which direction, every time he picked up the phone or saw somebody or ran into somebody or saw somebody in passing. … So I’m sure it got a little old.”
Mallett isn’t the only Arkansas player whose NFL plans remain unknown. Tight end D.J. Williams also petitioned the NFL Advisory Committee to gauge his draft status and said he would consider his options.
Williams’ mother, Vicky Williams, said Wednesday she hadn’t spoken to her son about the decision. But she did offer an opinion. She joked that she would like her son to turn pro — as a piano player.
“You like the cushy jobs for your son,” Williams said. “You never like them getting banged up. He loves to play the piano, so that’s what mom would like to see happen. But that’s not going to happen.”
Despite mom’s hopes, Vicky Williams said her son is in complete control of his NFL decision.
“It’s his life and I feel like whatever he decides to do is going to be great for him,” she said. “And he’s always made solid decisions. So I don’t have any problem with him taking that 100 percent.”
