FAYETTEVILLE — Some things just can’t be denied. When you see it, you just know it, and what I know is that someday in the near future Garrick McGee is going to make some university very proud that he is its head football coach.
This isn’t a great revelation. Anyone who has been around McGee much at all — and my access has been limited as has all members of the media who covers the Razorbacks has — comes away impressed by him. But watching him coordinate the Hogs practices this spring and listening to him address the media both on national football signing day as well as several times following spring practice, it became crystal that the Oklahoma grad is destined to successfully guide his own program one day.
Oddly enough, I got the same feeling back in 2004 when I watched the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention by a freshman senator from Illinois. While I had never heard of that senator before, he had an undeniable stature and charisma that made me think this guy is something else. Of course, we now call that senator Mr. President.
To me, McGee is Barack Obama with a whistle in terms of poise, charisma and stature. You can see him rising to do great things. Now, this is not meant as any type of political commentary one way or the other. It’s just an analogy that when talent is there it is often apparaent.
The Razorbacks are poised to have an outstanding offense, and while the lion’s share of the coaching credit for that necessarily and rightly is bestowed upon Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino, McGee should earn some credit, too.
When Petrino’s brother, Paul, opted to leave his brother’s staff, there is little doubt that Bobby had many coaches willing to come to Arkansas and take the title of offensive coordinator. Working under Petrino on the offensive side of the ball is good for anyone’s knowledge base and resume. Plus with the stable of talented receivers, running backs and quarterbacks returning, it would have made the coordinator’sjob that much more enticing. It says a great deal for McGee that Petrino stayed in house with the promotion.
If the Hogs have the type of season fan’s are dreaming about, McGee will have options in December. Here’s hoping he elects to remain a Razorback.
Here’s food for thought, though. If well-placed scuttlebutt is true, Petrino was about two falling dominoes away from getting a call from Florida to take over the Gators program last December when Urban Meyer waffled over whether he wanted to be Florida’s coach or not.
Should Petrino be poached from the Ozarks in the near or distant future, McGee wouldn’t be a bad coach to consider as his replacement.
Yes, I know all the hubbub about hiring needing to hire a proven head coach. I also know that the perfect replacement for Nolan Richardson is now coaching the Missouri Tigers, and the Hogs could have had him for a song back in 2002.
Tags: Arkansas Razorbacks, Bobby Petrino, football, Garrick McGee, Hogs, Oklahoma Sooners, SEC
