Ryan Mallett is no stranger to high expectations.

Arkansas’ junior quarterback started as a true freshman at Michigan in 2007 and went 3-0, leading the Wolverines to victories over Notre Dame, Penn State and Minnesota.

In high school, Mallett was a five-star recruit ranked the No. 4 player in the nation by Rivals.com. The attention the Texarkana, Texas, product received as a teenager helped to prepare him for the scrutiny he would face at the collegiate level.

“I think it was in high school, probably in my sophomore and junior year, that I adjusted to the attention,” Mallett said. “I thought I was an OK player and everyone else was like, ‘You’re going to go wherever you want to go,’ and things like that. I didn’t understand at the time what they meant.

“I didn’t believe it until the end of my junior season and into my senior season and then I started to learn how the system works. I really think that helped me out for college.”

The spotlight hasn’t dimmed. The 6-foot-6, 238-pound signal caller has been touted as a Heisman Trophy candidate after a sophomore season in which he threw for 3,624 yards and 30 touchdowns, two of the 16 UA records he broke or tied in his first year as Razorback.

Mallett has been on the cover of numerous preseason magazines and fielded questions about his Heisman candidacy from local and national media, including two appearances on ESPN’s “College Football Live” in the offseason.

Making a December trip to New York as a finalist for the 76th Heisman Trophy isn’t something Mallett spends much time thinking about, though.

“When it comes down to it, what I’m here to do is win for the University of Arkansas and win for our team,” Mallett said. “My team knows that if we win games, that I have a chance. They also know that I don’t care about the Heisman.

“I want to win and go to the SEC (Championship) and go to Tempe and things like that.”

To lead Arkansas to its first Southeastern Conference championship, Mallett is drawing on another lesson he learned in high school, one he said he’s been trying to pass on to his current teammates.

“In the film room of my high school there was a sign that said, ‘Complacency Kills,’” Mallett said. “That’s always stuck with me. The more I think about it now, the more I tell the guys, ‘You can’t be complacent; you’ve always got to work to get better.’

“You can watch film for three hours in a day and learn one thing new out of those three hours, but you’re a better player because you learned that one thing.”

Mallett spent a lot of time in the film room in the spring and summer after being sidelined by a broken bone in his left foot during a February workout. The injury required two surgeries, including one in June, prompting speculation about his health.

“At this point, it’s funny to me,” Mallett said about the attention his injury received. “I’ve tried to tell people I’m going to be back. The guys knew I was going to be back and tried to tell people, but still everybody was worried. I think I answered it by showing the first day of practice, I’m full speed.”

His work in fall practice after missing spring practice and summer workouts impressed the Razorback coaching staff.

“Ryan’s done real well,” Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino said. “It’s fun to have him back out there. Mentally he’s been very sharp. He really knows the offense; he knows where to distribute the ball.”

Mallett will get to distribute the ball to an offense that returns nine other starters. The Razorbacks have four running backs competing for the starting job and senior tight end D.J. Williams was named to both the media and coaches’ preseason first-team All-SEC squad.

The Hogs return the top five pass catchers from an offense that ranked first in the SEC in scoring and passing offense last season. The Razorbacks’ receiving corps was ranked No. 1 in the country by Athlon.

“It’s definitely a luxury,” Mallett said about the Hogs’ returning offensive talent. “It’s not hard to decide who to throw the ball to, because you throw it to whoever is open and you know they can go score at any time. That’s what makes playing in this offense so fun.”

Even though Mallett was unable to participate in the spring and summer, he and the receivers picked up where they left off once fall practice began, junior receiver Greg Childs said.

“Ryan looks great, just like he always does,” Childs said after the Hogs’ first fall practice. “He came back just where he left off. He was out with us when we’ve been doing (pass skeleton) during the summer.”

While he couldn’t take part in the drills, Mallett was a vocal leader for the rest of the team.

“Ryan can lead anytime,” Petrino said. “That’s one of the things that’s special about him. He steps into a room and it doesn’t matter what room that is and what’s going on, in 10-to-15 minutes he’s going to be leading the room. It doesn’t matter what you’re doing.

“That’s just a gift that he’s had, something he’s done his whole life.”

Mallett will get plenty of chances to prove himself Heisman-worthy while trying to lead the Razorbacks to an SEC Championship. Four of the Hogs’ opponents are ranked in the preseason USA Today Coaches’ Poll and four more received votes.

“I’m ready; we’re ready,” Mallett said.