FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas’ coaching staff accomplished something rare in a nomadic profession last winter, remaining completely intact for the 2011 season.
But that won’t be the case once again for 2012.
Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino, who lost offensive coordinator Garrick McGee and special teams coordinator John L. Smith to head coaching jobs this week, made two moves Tuesday. He announced his brother, Paul Petrino, was returning to the program to replace McGee as offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach after a two-year stint at Illinois. He also revealed defensive coordinator Willy Robinson had offered his “resignation” after four seasons.
The hectic week means Arkansas — which finished the regular season 10-2 for the second straight year — will field a staff with three new coordinators next season.
Bobby Petrino wasn’t available for comment Tuesday, but Paul Petrino said the Razorbacks will work through the change.
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“I think any time you have a leader at the top and everything is ran with consistency and discipline, then that transition is smooth,” Paul Petrino said.
“We have a great leader at the top. There’s no question in my mind that will go smooth.”
Robinson’s departure had been a source of speculation for several weeks after Arkansas’ defense struggled in 2011, finishing ninth in total defense (371.4) and scoring defense (22.8 points) during his fourth year.
It wasn’t what Arkansas expected at the beginning of the season with a large number of veterans returning to a team that made big strides in 2010. So Robinson — who came to Arkansas in 2008 after spending the previous eight seasons as an assistant in the NFL — was let go.
“I want to thank Willy Robinson for his role in helping our defense, which he leaves in better shape than when he arrived,” Petrino said in a statement. “I have the utmost respect for Willy Robinson as an individual who wants the best for the young men he coaches.
“I give Willy credit for his part in the building process the last four years and wish him future success.”
Robinson is not expected to be with the team for the Cotton Bowl.
It’s not clear where Petrino will turn in his search for a new defensive coordinator, although the biggest name available is former Arizona head coach Mike Stoops.