Arkansas ended the 2010 football season on a high.

The Razorbacks won double-digit games and the Sugar Bowl, a height the program hasn't been in many, many years. It was Arkansas's first trip to a BCS-affiliated bowl. But when the recruiting sites' rankings came out for the Razorbacks class in February, it wasn't exactly elite level.

Oh, sure, it wasn't bad. Scout.com ranked Arkansas 16th in the nation; Rivals.com had it 24th. Problem is, there weren't any huge, big-name studs that would've propelled Arkansas any higher. Bobby Petrino's fourth recruiting class at Arkansas was longer on numbers than it was in stars.

Which is probably just the way Petrino wants it. He didn't have to pull a proverbial rabbit out of his hat, what with the kind of season he accomplished on the field and the overall direction of the program. It's all about depth at this point for Arkansas, and Petrino signed enough players in this class that should provide just that.

Now that Ryan Mallett has left for the NFL Draft, look for Tyler Wilson to take over and continue to win games for Arkansas. Just how many, though, is the question. And this year's recruiting class doesn't inspire any great sense that the program will take an even larger step next year.

But it doesn't indicate that it'll be moving back, either.

TOP OF THE CLASS

WR Marquel Wade (Milford Academy, New Berlin, N.Y.) -- Arkansas could use some big-play wide receivers this upcoming year, and Wade was the fourth-best prep school prospect in the nation according to Rivals.com. Plus, he's a spring enrollee, meaning he's getting a head start in learning the Razorbacks' play book.

DB Tevin Mitchel (Legacy, Mansfield, Texas) -- The U.S. Army All-American is Arkansas' best defensive recruit, and that continues to be an area of the ball in which the Razorbacks could use some help. Mitchell has a nice pedigree: His father played at Oklahoma, and he turned down a host of offers that included Nebraska.

QB Brandon Allen (Fayetteville High, Fayetteville, Ark.) -- Rivals.com says he's the fifth-best pro style quarterback in the nation, which is a pretty good think to get in the same year you lose Ryan Mallett. Allen might not have the chance to play immediately, but he'll have it soon enough.

Copyright (C) 2011 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.