Ryan Mallett

The Gift

Ryan Mallett  was born June 5, 1988, nicknamed "Big Tex", Ryan Mallett  is an American football quarterback for the Arkansas Razorbacks. Mallett spent his freshman year at the University of Michigan.

Ryan Mallett  graduated from Texas High School in Texarkana, Texas, and was ranked as the #2 quarterback and #4 overall player in the nation by Rivals.com. He was also the Gatorade Player of the Year in Texas in 2006. Mallett participated in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in 2007 and won the Glenn Davis Army Award as the best player on the West team.

It was announced on February 17 that Ryan Mallett  had suffered a left foot injury in a change of direction conditioning drill. The junior had successful surgery later that day, and a planned second surgery was announced on June 9. Mallett missed the Razorback spring game and spring drills, but he did not miss fall camp. During the off season, Mallett was named one of college football's most irreplaceable players by ESPN.com, and he appeared on College Football Live. At the SEC's 2010 Media Days conference, Mallett became the first Arkansas quarterback to be named preseason first-team All-SEC by the SEC coaches. He has been listed as the frontrunner for the Davey O'Brien Award by The Sporting News and a potential Heisman Trophy candidate. He was also named a preseason All-SEC quarterback and preseason All-American quarterback by numerous organizations. 

Ryan Mallett  's performance in 2009 has led to higher expectations in 2010. The junior has stated that he wishes to change the mindset of Arkansas fans into that of a winning program. The confident Mallett has been quoted saying, "I'm looking for 14," when asked about how many wins the 2010 Razorbacks can achieve. 

On September 4, 2010, Ryan Mallett  completed 21-of-24 passes (87.5%), setting an Arkansas school record for completion percentage in a game. The completion percentage also ranks second all-time in SEC football history. Mallett contributed 301 passing yards, as well, with a total of 8 receivers recording catches. Arkansas defeated Tennessee Tech in the game 44-3.

Ryan Mallett  finished seventh in voting for the 2010 Heisman Trophy.