Tyler Wilson–3-star recruit turned 1st-Team All SEC QB.

This is the 28^th in our series 30 Thoughts on Razorback Football in 30 Days leading up to the 2012 Kickoff.

Paul Petrino—the (not really) new Arkansas Offensive Coordinator and younger brother of former Head Hog (wrecker) Bobby Petrino ruffled a few cyber moaners’ keyboards this week.

Paul P. had the audacity that to essentially point out that for all the heat this staff catches annually on National Signing Day for inking lesser “3-star” talent they have managed to produce some 5-star results.

The numbers that BlogHawgs.com’s Stat Geek crunched this week reflect the younger Petrino made a valid point.

Seemingly every year following National Signing Day, Arkansas is ranked in the 20s and 30s in recruiting by the national recruiting sites. And, the Hogs are typically slotted in the middle or low-end of the SEC pack.

Could Arkansas’ defensive recruiting (and OL recruiting for that matter) have been better of late? Absolutely. Thankfully, the defense is being given more attention under interim head coach John L. Smith.

But, the truth is, Arkansas has also signed some very good players the last few seasons at some of their positions of perceived weakness or questionable depth.

Linebacker recruiting had been wanting for a few years, so the UA staff went out and signed some studs (Otha Peters and A.J. Turner). Offensive line recuiting was light last year but only after Arkansas signed one of the best OL classes (on paper) in school history in 2011.

Arkansas also added “No Typo”–Tevin Mitchel–at cornerback in 2011. How was he as a pup? Pretty salty. This year, Texas native and Mizzou decommit Will Hines looks like he will provide similar, immediate help in the secondary in 2012.

I’m not saying there aren’t areas on Arkansas’ depth chart where depth is a concern (LB, secondary).

But it’s fairly difficult to argue against Paul’s point. The proof is in the pudding–a 21-5 record in 2 seasons with 2 losses to eventual national champions (Auburn 2010, Bama 2011), 2 others to #1-ranked teams (Bama 2010 and LSU 2011) and the 5th to #6 ranked Ohio State in a near miss in Nawlins.

I’m not arguing Arkansas has the same chance to win with 3-stars that it does with 5-star prospects. But the Hogs are proving that you can win and win big with high 3 and 4-star players that fit your system and develop each season within it.

The fact is that Arkansas’ recruiting base (or lack thereof) makes it much, much tougher for the Hogs to land 5-stars prospects, no matter how much Razorback fans complain.

The bitchocracy that falls back into stale, star-gazing lamentations while ignoring that Arkansas will probably complete this year having averaged 10 wins a season over a 3-year span in the toughest division in College Football history is just yearning to complain.

That is to be expected–it is in a recruitniks’ nature to complain non-stop, every year.

Someone should tell them that in the meantime they’re missing some really entertaining, winning Hog Football.