What Are People Saying About Arkansas After SEC Media Days?

The Razorbacks' spin through the SEC Media Days drive-thru came and went Wednesday, and it went about as expected. There was a little breaking news mixed with John L. Smith's colorful flair. Tyler Wilson, Knile Davis, and Tank Wright represented the university admirably. All in all, it was a solid performance, with only a few moments having us believing our worst fears would be realized. It also gave the thousand media folks in attendance plenty to write about. We've rounded up many of the columns and articles written about the Razorbacks today for all of you to peruse.

• Our friend Chris Bahn took note of the revelation that Bobby Petrino has called several Razorbacks recently to apologize for April, and Bahn believes the show of remorse is a step towards the image rehabilitation necessary to get Petrino back in the sidelines in the near future. He even vaguely references "a proud program that has fallen on hard times." *coughVOLScough*
• Smith was exuberant, wacky, zany, and fun. All in all, just vintage John L. Smith says SBNation.com's Jason Kirk. Are we ready for a "that's just John L. being John L." slogan?
• If Jeff Schultz's column in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution is any indication, folks in Atlanta are still not over Petrino's alter-dumping in 2007. He says Arkansas fans are "living with deserved humiliation" in Petrino's wake. He even refers to Jessica Dorrell as a "wench", which seems extremely unnecessary and tacky to us. We're not exactly fans of hers, but come on.

(more after the jump)

• Pat Dooley of The Gainesville Sun is one of the rare writers outside of Arkansas to think Smith might actually work out in Fayetteville. He says Smith "could be the perfect coach for an imperfect situation."
• Hog fans have known about "Get Your Piss Hot" (#GYPH) since Smith's hiring in April, but the phrase was unleashed on the nation Wednesday. Bleacher Report's Barrett Sallee got Smith to elaborate on the phrase a bit. Don't know how Smith expected that to remain a secret.
• The confidence of the Razorback players in the face of Petrino's adversity was noted among several writers. Kurt Voigt, the Associated Press' Arkansas beat writer, wrote about how Tyler Wilson has matured into a thriving team leader anxious to take advantage of the opportunities this season offers.
• That confidence is not limited to Wilson, it appears to be spread throughout the program, notes Benjamin Wolk on redandblack.com, a student newspaper from Georgia.
• Speaking of confidence, Knile Davis is in a league with Marcus Lattimore, Isaiah Crowell, Christine Michael, and the stables at LSU and Alabama, but Davis has no problem declaring himself the best in the league. Si.com's Andy Staples says it seemed more like a statement of fact than arrogance.
• Perhaps Smith is a big part of the reason for the team's confidence? Glenn Gulibeau of Shreveport Times says Smith used his "rapid, high-pitch cadence" to "wow" the crowd in Hoover.
• No matter what happens on the field this fall, this season is part of Smith's life adventure, according to Evan Woodberry of al.com.

So, overall, mostly good reviews. Arkansas would get a fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Doc Harper is a regular contributor to ArkansasSports360.com and ArkansasExpats.com. You can email him at heydocharper@gmail.com and follow his thoughts and observations on Twitter @doc_harper.