Arkansas Business

This story is from the archives of ArkansasSports360.com.

Much has changed for Arkansas Coach John L. Smith since his last coaching job, especially when it comes to the "Worldwide Leader," ESPN.

Back from the national media circuit tour, first in Hoover, Ala., to meet the Southeastern Conference press and then through the "carwash" of ESPN with players Tyler Wilson and Knile Davis this week, Smith was ready to attempt to play golf with Arkansas media and program supporters at Paradise Valley Golf and Athletic Club on Thursday.

But Smith, who was last a head coach at Michigan State in 2006 before being hired to replace Bobby Petrino in April, still was quite blown away by the visit to ESPN in Bristol, Conn., with Wilson and Davis on Tuesday and Wednesday.

"It was a good outing, it really was," Smith said. "That ESPN facility there, their campus is an amazing facility and they’re putting in, like, five new studios. It’s kind of eye-opening how big ESPN has gotten in a short perod of time and how they are continuing to grow. The magnitude, the focus on sports."

Smith was happy for the attention Arkansas' national ranking of late and the prospects of big seasons for Wilson and Davis meant for Arkansas' program name.

"The more exposure we can get, I think, the better," he said. "It’s always better when the kids out there in the country are seeing us, seeing us on TV. It definitely helps. They're going to take a look at Arkansas and we want that logo out as much as we can, get it out to gain exposure. It helps us recruit."

On the personnel front, Smith sounded a lot like the very old skit on "Saturday Night Live" when orignal SNL'er Chevy Chase used to announce Spanish President Francisco Franco "is still dead." In the case of punt returner and receiver Marquel Wade, the sophomore is still not a member of the Razorbacks, as Smith tried to convince some of the media last week in Hoover.

So he tried again Thursday.

"Apparently I was not clear the last time. I said, 'Read the press guide. If you see his name in the press guide he would have a chance.' If you don’t see it there then you won’t see him. Read the press guide, right?"

So, is that a definite no?

"No. Not this season," he continued. "There's always a possibility down the road [next year] but I would not expect any of those guys to be here."

"Those guys," along with Wade, are Mardrecus Humphrey and tight end Andrew Peterson, who were arrested for burglary of dorm rooms on the UA campus this spring. Their case has not been resolved by the legal system.