Hoover, Ala. — You're not going to get Bobby Petrino to bare his soul, especially while standing behind a lectern under bright lights before hundreds of media members, which is what he was doing Friday morning at the SEC's annual media days.

But the new Arkansas head coach, who resigned as the Falcons head coach with three games remaining in last year's season, was relatively direct in answering the many questions he fielded about his sudden change last December. The fact that he was addressing the media on the same day as the Falcons were reporting to training camp in Flowery Branch was not lost on anyone.

AP (ENLARGE)

Former Falcons head coach Bobby Petrino addresses the media during SEC football Media Day in Hoover, Ala. The Arkansas head coach admits the timing of his departure from Atlanta 'bad, no question. With the Falcons, and with Arkansas, it was really the only way it could play out.'

Petrino insists that it was his love of college football that compelled him to leave.

"Obviously there were a number of things that went into it," Petrino said. "But I love college football. I was asked earlier what it is I like about college football. And really the answer is everything."

But he did acknowledge his time with the Falcons was the most difficult he had endured as a coach.

"Yeah it was," he said. "It was a trying situation. But everybody there worked as hard as they could to do the best job they could. ... The whole situation, the timing was bad, no question. With the Falcons, and with Arkansas, it was really the only way it could play out."

In Atlanta, Petrino found himself handcuffed by the dog-fighting controversy that surrounded quarterback Michael Vick. He said one the primary attractions of joining the Falcons was the opportunity coach Vick.

After Vick was suspended by the league and eventually sentenced to federal prison, Petrino said much of the attraction was gone.

"They had a quarterback at that time that I thought could be real special, so that played a lot into it," he said. "But, you know, it was a difficult season. You always try to look back and really try to reflect on what I could have done better here and what we could have done better."

Petrino declined to discuss the details of his departure, which included leaving notes on players' lockers that told them he was leaving.

"I don't think we need to get into that," Petrino said. "It's something that I've put behind me and I'm sure that the Falcons have. I wish them and their entire organization and their fans the best of luck. But it's really time for us to focus in on this season, University of Arkansas football and, you know, the players that we have."

The Razorbacks are definitely thrilled to have Petrino.

"I was surprised but I was elated that we were able to get that high-caliber of the coach and that he was willing to come back to the college ranks," Arkansas senior center Jonathan Luigs said. "I know he left a team prematurely but in this big of a job in this big of a conference you've got to fill the job. He wanted to leave the Falcons and take this job and that's what he needed to do. There's definitely no ill feelings in the state of Arkansas."

Luigs said Petrino explained his thought process in one of his first meetings with his new team.

"He told us he needed to jump on the opportunity," Luigs said. "He said that we'd probably hear some bad things about it but, at the same time, the change was inevitable and this was the job he wanted. He said all the right things."