One of coach Bobby Petrino’s favorite aphorisms is “Feed the studs.”

Or, something like that.

On Sunday, he fed his offensive and defensive studs — DeVante Parker and Lorenzo Mauldin — to the buffet known as ACC Football Media Days.

Before I get to some quotes from the two Cardinals that struck me as telling, some observations on the visuals.

Given my all too rapid advancement into my “mature” years, I often look at college kids, and express how they look like they look about Bar Mitzvah age (13 years old). DeVante Parker — I guess this is the first time I’ve ever seen him without a helmet on — looks older and more mature than his years.

Kind of like his stellar, already ready for the NFL game.

And, Mauldin, well, Lorenzo showed up in Greensboro with red-tipped dreadlocks.

Stylin’.

Reading between the lines, one gets a sense from the duo of a real comfort with new regime, that of Petrino versus his predecessor, Charlie Strong.

When asked about defense now, Mauldin immediately noted there’s now an “exclusive defensive coaching staff.”

Which, reading between the lines, seems to mean Mauldin is pleased he needs to answer only to defensive coordinator Todd Grantham and his position coach, as opposed to input from the head coach also, as it was with Strong.

Parker was more direct, indicating some displeasure with the offense under the previous regime.

He’s quoted as saying, “We didn’t try to put up numbers. At times it did get frustrating because sometimes I’d catch the ball one time or none at all, but I never said anything.”

When, in an interview within an interview, he was asked by Mauldin, who hopes one day to be in the booth after his playing career is over, what kind of numbers he looks forward to putting up this season, Parker said, “90 catches. 1200 yards.”

What resonated clearly, at least from these team leaders, is they’ve quickly and happily moved on from their former coaches now at Texas to Petrino Era II.

* * * * *

Coach Petrino is addressing the ACC press corps today, at least those who have journeyed to the Greensboro conclave.

I haven’t heard his comments, so, striving here for some reasonable sense of ethics, I shan’t comment until I’ve digested them.

* * * * *

I will weigh in on the “controversy,” if that’s what the dialog on the subject can properly be called, over the type of players Petrino is recruiting.

I am among those somewhat surprised that he is obtaining commitments from players who appear to be a cut below those Strong and his staff were harvesting.

That said, there’s no doubt he can coach ’em up, adding value to the pigskinners he brings in.

And I have no doubts he’ll be competitive. He did, after all, go to a BCS bowl game while at Arkansas, playing in the hardest division in college football, the SEC West, which includes Alabama, Auburn and LSU.

So, despite my misgivings, it is way way way way way too early to even consider beginning to think about panicking. It’s what, something like 42 days until the first game of Petrino Era II.

— Seedy K