McGee named Hogs' offensive coordinator

Paul Petrino introduced as offensive coordinator at Illinois

By Brandon Marcello

Posted: December 14, 2009 at 10:59 a.m.
Updated: December 14, 2009 at 3:11 p.m.

Jason Ivester
Garrick McGee was promoted from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator with the departure of Paul Petrino to Illinois on Monday.

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FAYETTEVILLE — Garrick McGee will replace Paul Petrino, who accepted a position at Illinois on Sunday, as Arkansas' offensive coordinator.

McGee comes with a wealth of experience and has spent the last two seasons as Arkansas' quarterbacks coach.

Arkansas Coach Bobby Petrino made the announcement in a statement Monday afternoon. McGee is the first African-American offensive or defensive coordinator in school history.

“Garrick McGee is one of the top young college football coaches in the country,” Bobby Petrino said. “He came to Arkansas after a successful tenure as the offensive coordinator at Northwestern. His accomplishments as an assistant coach, including as an offensive coordinator in the Big Ten, demonstrates his ability and his outstanding leadership. I want to thank my brother, Paul, for his hard work and dedication to the Razorbacks the past two years. He feels like this move will help him achieve his professional goals. I have always supported my brother, and will continue to do so. I wish him the best of luck. Our search to fill the vacant position on our staff begins immediately.”

Paul Petrino served as receivers coach in addition to his duties as offensive coordinator for the last two seasons at Arkansas.

McGee has been instrumental in the development of Ryan Mallett. Under McGee’s guidance, Mallett led the SEC in passing, pass efficiency, touchdown passes and total offense this season along with setting or matching 16 different school records. In addition, UA quarterbacks have combined to pass for a school record 3,640 yards.

“I am grateful to Coach Bobby Petrino for giving me the opportunity to serve as the offensive coordinator at the University of Arkansas,” McGee said. “In our two seasons at Arkansas, we have begun to lay the foundation for an offensive approach that has resulted in success in the Southeastern Conference and nationally. I look forward to working with our staff to continue to build towards our collective goals.”

Paul Petrino was officially announced as the Illini's offensive coordinator by Coach Ron Zook today.

"I am extremely pleased about this hire," Zook said. "Paul is a young, talented offensive mind, who has had great success at every step in his career. He has proven himself with great offensive numbers and rankings, but what makes him most impressive is his ability to develop players and the strong relationships he has forged along the way. His offense is exciting and fun, both for the players and for the fans at Memorial Stadium."

Paul Petrino reportedly will earn $475,000 a year as part of a two-year deal at Illinois, according to The News Gazette in Champaign, Ill. The salary is the sixth-highest in the nation, according to figures encompassing public universities released by USA Today earlier this year.

"It has been an honor to help guide a new path at the University of Arkansas and I will always be grateful to my brother, Bobby, athletic director Jeff Long and the entire Razorback community for the opportunity I was given," Petrino said in a statement released by the University of Illinois. "But now it is time to take on a new challenge, and I look forward to helping Coach Zook take the Fighting Illini back to the Rose Bowl and compete for national championships. This is an incredible opportunity for my family and our work in Champaign is underway."

Petrino, the brother of Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino, has served as the offensive coordinator at Arkansas for the last two seasons. News of his expected departure was first reported by The News-Gazette in Champaign, Ill., on Sunday.

Petrino said it was "hard" to leave his brother, Bobby, at Arkansas.

"He wants me to be the best and he wants things to go good, so I think both of us are just happy and excited and we'll move on," Paul Petrino said during his introductory press conference at Illinois on Monday. "We'll see what happens. Maybe we'll play each other for the national championship. It'd be great."

Petrino, who served as the Razorbacks' receivers coach, helped lead an offense ranked near the top of several national categories. Going into the postseason, the Razorbacks have the eighth-best scoring offense and is 14th in total offense and 10th in passing offense nationally.

Petrino interviewed for the head coaching job at Western Kentucky in November but removed his name from consideration.

Zook fired four assistants Friday at Illinois after a 3-9 season. Among them was offensive coordinator Mike Schultz, who departed after one season on the job. Zook also demoted his co-defensive coordinators to positional duties on the staff.

Zook reportedly received an emergency waiver from the University of Illinois' human resources department to move forward with hiring replacements as early as this week.

Stay with WholeHogSports.com and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for more on this story.

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