Petrino Breaks Down Key Players on Offense

Arkansas fans get sneak peek before scrimmage through coordinator's eyes

Arkansas Razorbacks offensive coordinator looks over the play sheet while quarterback Malachi Singleton watches the group ahead of him during a spring practice on the indoor practice facilty in Fayetteville, Arkansas. / Andy Hodges-allHOGS Images

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Arkansas offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino jumped on with the "Morning Mayhem" crew on 103.7 The Buzz in Little Rock Friday morning to let Razorbacks fans know what to expect from key offensive players in Saturday's scrimmage. Here's what he had to say.

On Starting QB Taylen Green

"Taylen's done a nice job really since the day he got here and he's a natural leader. Sometimes when guys first get here, or when you first take a job like this, you put the balls out there and see who goes picks up the ball and jumps in the front of the line, and that was certainly Taylen. From Day 1, he wasn't shy about it. When we ran, he was the first guy to finish, first guy in line. He's very, very competitive. So, I really like how hard he works and how motivated he is to excel."

"Yeah, well you know when you see him and his size and his stance in the pocket, and the things he does there obviously remind you of Ryan just simply because he's he's that tall and that big, and he can do some things that other guys can't do simply because of his height and ability. And then the way he can run the ball. Now, he can tuck it and go, and he's extremely fast and he's got some things that remind you a little bit of Lamar Jackson, maybe not the change of direction, but the acceleration and speed, so it's a good combination. I think it helps a lot when your quarterback can can make plays when things break down."

On Seeing Back-Up Quarterbacks Grow, Battle

"Yeah, it's been fun, and it's a good competition going on between Malachi Singleton, Jacoby Criswell, and KJ Jackson. KJ is the true freshman. I think he's gonna have a bright bright future ahead of him. He's a big kid. He's 6-4, 320 pounds, lefty, and he's, he's hard on himself, you know, and I think he's got to learn to not be so hard on himself. But, he's getting better and better each day and Malachi and Jacoby have been competing hard. It's a little different for them because of the drops that we do and the offense that we're running. So, they're all learning and getting better."

On Additions to Offensive Line

"I think we did a great job. Coach Mateos and obviously Coach Pittman did a great job with the recruiting of the of the portal and the O-linemen we got out of that. Fernando Carmona, call him Junior, he's left tackle and really, really talented guy. He's, I think definitely has a bright future ahead of him in playing here and then after here. He's doing a nice job for us. In at center, Addison Nichols, a transfer out of Tennessee. I really like Addison. He's smart and he understands the game of football. He's got physical tools and he can run. So, his athleticism in there helps us a lot too. And then at the right tackle, Keyshawn Blackstock is a big physical guy. Very, very competitive. His attitude and toughness, along with Junior's, I think, helps the whole offensive line. So, those are the three transfer guys that are doing a really nice job."

On What to Expect from Wide Receivers

"Yeah, I'm excited about our receivers. I think before it's over with, we're going to have a really good group. Right now, Andrew Armstrong and Tyrone Broden are, you know, if we were going to start today, they would run out there as the starters as the outside receivers. Both big and and have really good speed. Andrew's probably the more polished route runner and a guy that can make adjustments and catch the ball in his hand. Tyrone's a little bit faster and taller. So he's 6-6 and he's got a great stride and speed and the quarterbacks have learned to give him the opportunity to catch balls above his head. He's got the ability to jump and turn at that height, which some guys can't do. So, that's been exciting to us. Isaiah Sategna has done a nice job. He's fast. He's a guy we feel like we can get the ball to and he can make plays after the catch. He's gonna run the ball a little bit, hand him the ball. His punt return skills correlate a lot into this offense, so that's exciting for us. Jaedon Wilson's done a nice job. He's been in and out a little bit with a hamstring issue, so we're hoping that he gets healthy and gets going. He can play both inside and outside, as can Sategna, and I think that helps us tremendously."

HOGS FEED:

• Arkansas takes advantage of late error to clinch LSU series

• Saturday's scrimmage another chance for Pittman to evaluate new faces

• Hogs land first portal transfer commit

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