FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Ryan Mallett was a star player for the Razorbacks, but University of Arkansas athletic director Kevin Trainor and his former teammates say it was much more than that.
Mallett tragically died after drowning while vacationing in Florida on June 27, 2023. Trainor says in the wake of the tragedy, it has been overwhelming to see the outpouring of support.
“Ryan Mallett made a deep impact not just because of the way he threw a football and because of his amazing talents on the field, but because of the way he interacted with people. He loved this state."
Trainor said he remembers when he first met Mallett after he transferred from the University of Michigan. "Ryan made you feel like you were the most important person in the room, and I think that was a gift that he had."
Trainor believes that gift is what made Mallett so beloved to Razorback Nation and the state of Arkansas.
“Even with his success, he represented the state and just was the same guy from the time that he arrived to the time he left.”
From 2009 to 2011, Mallett led the Hogs through successful seasons and won the hearts of Arkansans. For Trainor, #15’s legacy lives on.
“I know that Ryan would want us to remember the times that we had together, the times that he led some amazing games … embracing the Razorback fans, and that's how I’ll remember Ryan Mallett. It is just the pure joy of living, embracing life, and going into it with all the gusto that he did.”
“There’ll never be another Ryan Mallett”
In January 2008, the Arkansas football program changed forever. Ryan Mallett made the life-changing decision to transfer from Michigan to the Razorbacks.
“Without Mallet making the decision to come from Michigan, I don’t know if Arkansas history is as strong in that era," said former Arkansas offensive lineman Demarcus Love.
“The first interaction was just the same person everybody knows. He is going to light up the room with that huge personality that he has," said Casey Dick, a former Arkansas quarterback.
With the old transfer rules still in place, Mallett spent the following year on the sidelines. To Dick, who at the time was the starting quarterback, Mallett still created a spark.
On November 28, 2008, Arkansas trailed LSU at halftime in the Battle of the Boot but Mallett lit the locker room spark that pushed the Hogs to victory.
“I’ll never forget it, he said 'We are going to go into this thing, and you’re going to play, and we’re going to win it.' There were little moments like that, where he would go around the locker room and pick guys up, and I’ll never forget when he did and we wound up winning the game," Dick said.
Once Mallett hit the field in 2009, the rest was history.
"Man, it was like cutting on a video game, just hearing the pure wind and power from the ball when I was pass protecting could always let me know that I could stop blocking because Mallet had thrown the ball," said Love.
In two seasons at Arkansas, Mallett broke 16 school records. “He was solid, tough competitor, didn’t care about anybody on the defense," Love said.
"It's just unreal how much further ahead of the game he was," said former Arkansas running back Broderick Green. "From breaking the huddle off the clap, he could tell me 'This guy is coming off the edge.'"
To Mallett, it was the team stats that mattered more, leading Arkansas to a Liberty Bowl victory in 2009 and then bringing the program to the Sugar Bowl for its first and only BCS bowl appearance.
“He was the guy that could get the crew going. You saw that BCS run where he put us on his back and we followed his lead," said Love.
"He just saw everything before it happened," Green said. "It's like he knew the cheat code for the defense."
Mallett spent a part of seven seasons in the NFL but the history of the Arkansas football program can’t be written without chapters on chapters about the kid from Batesville.
“What he was able to do, he just came in and took over. He was a standup competitor, one of the best to ever do it," said Love.
"I almost broke down into tears looking at pictures," said Green. Every touchdown he is always in the back with his hands up. "He was always the first guy ready to celebrate with you."
Still doing what he loved, Mallett became the head football coach at Mountain Home High School and then at White Hall. He was looking to mold the next generation of football talent.
“I genuinely believe that is what made him happy. Being around those kids, pouring into those kids, and he was doing a great job down there,” Dick said.
"It was about the love for the kids and having a heart for what you do," said Green. "He was passionate about what he did and lived in his purpose."
As the old saying goes, it’s not the years in the life, but the life in the years.
Mallett lived life to the fullest, putting his heart and his passion for football into every single day.
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