Marcello’s Mailbag: Is Bobby Petrino waiting in the wings to take over at Arkansas?

Welcome to Marcello’s Mailbag, where college football is always at the top of the pile. This is a safe space to share opinions and ask questions without fear or ridicule. No question is dumb, though you may believe there are dumb answers. Luckily, I’m willing to look like a jester, but more often than not, I’ll fill your mind with the information you need to understand the most magical sport in the world.

At least 25 power conference teams won’t conduct public spring scrimmages this year.

That’s not necessarily surprising, given Matt Rhule and others opened the door by canceling their traditional spring games. After all, it’s a copycat sport, and the moment you can provide credence to a coach’s paranoia — “rivals are scouting our spring scrimmages for transfers!” — the gig is up. That doesn’t mean the spring game is dead. The spring practice season will evolve and, thanks to coaches suggesting a new NFL-type practice system in January, that may happen as soon as next year.

In the interim, this has been the quietest spring I can remember. Position battles are well underway, but little will be gleaned from the many drills conducted behind closed doors. Hopefully, that’s just a one-year problem we face for a year-round sport.

But there is hope thanks to Deion Sanders and Syracuse‘s Fran Brown, who spoke up on the issue. We’ll cover that more in the Mailbag … just as soon as we invite Bo Pelini and his cat to a pancake party at Nebraska’s spring festival.

Should Syracuse and Colorado play the spring game anyway and dare the NCAA to suspend the entire programs? 

– Morey, Bluesky

They could schedule a joint spring scrimmage and not suffer harsh penalties from the NCAA, but it’s not worth the risk this late in the spring semester. I’m disappointed Deion Sanders and Fran Brown’s plan to conduct three days of practices will not happen (we love the content!), but the messaging might be more important for the sport than a one-and-done scrimmage between the teams this month. Coach Prime and Brown elicited strong positive reactions among coaches and administrators, which may lead to drastic changes sooner than later.

What Deion Sanders did by inviting Syracuse to Boulder is open the door for joint spring practices/games in 2026 for every FBS program. Remember, many leaders already want to conduct NFL-type official team activities on dates of their choosing during the spring and summer semesters. Including another program for a round of practices or a scrimmage is just the next step in that evolution. The lure of a joint scrimmage is the impetus needed to make the sweeping changes in time for the 2026 spring semester. Coaches will invite the opportunity. Fans will show up in droves. Rivalries like Bedlam could return, even if only for a throwaway weekend in Norman or Stillwater.

The big question: how will this affect the players? They may demand more money than permitted under the revenue-sharing structure outlined in the pending House settlement, particularly if those joint spring practices/scrimmages are televised and draw ad revenue for their school and conference.

In the end, Coach Prime and Brown got college football talking, and that should speed up the changes needed to save spring football.

NCAA committee denies Colorado-Syracuse spring game: Potential avenues, roadblocks for future scrimmages

Chris Hummer

What week does Bobby Petrino take over at Arkansas in 2026? Tough schedule and lots of questions on this roster. 

– Michael Zarro, Bluesky

Don’t count on it. I know the Internet is convinced Bobby Petrino is the coach-in-waiting for the Hogs, but barring something incredible — like Taylen Green emerging as the best quarterback in the country — I don’t see it happening. The chatter in 2024 indicated that if a change had occurred at Arkansas, the interim head coach would likely be defensive coordinator Travis Williams. If things go awry this season, that could still be true for the Hogs.

If Arkansas moves on from Sam Pittman (and I’m not so sure that’s a solid bet this year), the’ administration will look for a fresh start. Let’s face it, Petrino is a masterful playcaller, but he’s had opportunities as a head coach at Western Kentucky, Louisville and Missouri State since his controversial ouster at Arkansas in the spring of 2011. The Hogs need new blood, not a faint reflection from their rocky past.

What is the expectation for Joey McGuire at Texas Tech with the amount they are spending on NIL and transfer portal wins? 

– Tyler, Bluesky

Money is not a limitation for Texas Tech, as my colleague Dennis Dodd wrote last week.

“We should be the most talented team in the Big 12 this year,” Cody Campbell, a billionaire and leader of Tech’s Matador Club collective, told Dodd. “As I tell people, the ball is shaped funny … we may not win every game. [But] we’ll be physically able to win every game.”

The Red Raiders signed the nation’s No. 3 transfer class, according to 247Sports. And they are hot on the heels of the top prospects in the spring portal window, too. Chatter in the NIL world is that Texas Tech spent roughly $22 million on its roster, including just under $10 million on the transfer class and retention.

That number should — should — shrink during the next cycle, when revenue-sharing ($20.5 million for the entire athletics department) goes into effect in July. But how much will that pool of cash evaporate? With billionaires funding Tech’s future, options seem limitless.

This is a critical time for top programs in the Big 12. There is a power vacuum in the conference since the departures of Oklahoma and Texas, and Tech is fighting feverishly to become the new blue blood with a gigantic NIL fund and a new $242 million football complex.

The win total this fall is set at 8.5. Nine wins should be the expectation after winning eight games in two of the last three seasons. The Red Raiders won six games by one possession and lost one game by one possession last season.

Armed with ambition, resources and Patrick Mahomes, Texas Tech forges ahead well-equipped to thrive in new era

Dennis Dodd

What position battle has you the most intrigued heading into 2025? 

– Ethan Sauers, Bluesky

That’s easy: Bryce Underwood vs. Mikey Keene for Michigan‘s quarterback job. The Wolverines struggled more than they should have last season — dead last in pass offense among power teams — because of the quarterback position. They responded by adding two players capable of providing an immediate upgrade this fall.

My money is on the $10 Million Man. Underwood is dynamic, and Keene is more of a game manager. That role would fit the Michigan teams of the past, but not so much in the new-look Big Ten. Underwood might be a freshman, but a lack of experience doesn’t matter as much as it did 10 years ago in this sport. 

“If he’s ready to go, he’ll play. If he’s not, then we’ll get somebody else ready to play. But so far, I love his approach,” first-year Michigan offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey told reporters earlier this spring.

At 6-foot-4, 208 pounds, Underwood is physically mature. He has garnered comparisons to Vince Young from 247Sports’ scouting director Andrew Ivins. He also knows what it means to play for the Maize and Blue after his prolific prep career at a nearby Detroit high school. Underwood 

Questions abound about Keene’s availability at spring practices as well. Underwood should take advantage of the additional snaps, but the feeling is that a starter will not be named until Keene gets a fair shot to prove himself during the summer and preseason camp.

Michigan will go with the more explosive passer and runner.

Have a question? Email or tweet Brandon Marcello, and your question may be answered in the next edition of Marcello’s Mailbag.