All Hogs

What Green Must Do to Become Petrino's Next NFL Quarterback

Hogs' offensive coordinator was once a quarterback whisperer, has chance to fine tune Green before he bolts to next level
Jacob Davis|
Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback Taylen Green throws a pass against the LSU Tigers at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark.
Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback Taylen Green throws a pass against the LSU Tigers at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark. | Nilsen Roman-Hogs on SI Images

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Arkansas Razorbacks

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas Razorbacks offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino has coached many fascinating quarterbacks over the course of 35 seasons at the college ranks.

He started whispering NFL prospects at Arizona State with Jake Plummer before developing Jason Campbell at Auburn, Brian Brohm at Louisville in the early 2000's. Ryan Mallett and Tyler Wilson rewrote passing records at Arkansas while Brandon Doughty kickstarted Western Kentucky's program in 2013.

Petrino's only FBS stop where he didn't produce an NFL passer was at Texas A&M in 2023 but did help improve its offense drastically from the sub-100's to top-50 before then-coach Jimbo Fisher was fired. With such a rich history, he has fellow coaches and players confident that current starter Taylen Green takes the next step as a quarterback.

"[Green] wants to be a Hog, he wants to play here, he wants to play for the state," Arkansas coach Sam Pittman said Dec. 12. "It's a big deal to me that he wants to stay here and run it back and stay with Bobby and stay with that offense. I think it will be so big and beneficial to him, and it will help us in recruiting as well."

Green transferred to Arkansas from Boise State last December as Petrino's handpicked quarterback to lead his inaugural Razorbacks offense. He started all 13 games in 2024 and finished with a career high 3,154 passing yards, 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

The 6-foot-6, 230 pound dual threat tacked on an additional 602 yards and eight scores on the ground but lost over 200 yards due to 31 sacks. Green oftentimes carried the ball loose while under duress as he was forced into 12 fumbles, losing five.

"[Green's return] is huge man," left tackle Fernando Carmona said Dec. 17. "This is his first year in Petrino’s offense. Getting that extra year, you know he knows kind of what Petrino sees now and kind of what he wants on the field."

For Green to take the next step in his development he must shore up two key issues, taking huge sacks and tightening his throwing motion to avoid being stripped. When preparing to throw, he will wind up with the ball near his hip before pulling his arm upward in a similar way to Florida great Tim Tebow.

First-year offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino's unit was quite productive, scoring 31 points per game which ranked in the top-50 nationally. Arkansas had 246 plays exceed at least 10 yards (No. 2), 76 that went for 20+ yards (No. 14) and one of six power conference programs to record four or more plays of 70+ yards.

Arkansas will have a virtually new crop of receivers after losing its top eight pass catchers to graduation or portal since the regular season ended. The offense may look a bit different but have added plenty of experienced wideouts who this coaching staff hopes will be impact contributors.

"It’s just going to be seamless next year," Carmona said. "I’m excited to see our offense take that next step because I know there’s that extra step. We’re kind of scratching the surface and I think him coming back it’s just going to showcase the whole world, you know, this offense is legit."

HOGS FEED:

• Arkansas quickly plummeting towards bottom of SEC in NET rankings

• Higginbottom shows mortality; Alabama blows out Arkansas

• Desperate Hogs hope beating Georgia can lead to turnaround

• Hope for Razorbacks disappeared quickly against Missouri

• Hogs' missing piece is who Calipari didn't prioritize in portal

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Jacob Davis
JACOB DAVIS

Jacob Davis is a reporter for Arkansas Razorbacks on SI, with a decade of experience covering high school and transfer portal recruiting. He has previously worked at Rivals, Saturday Down South, SB Nation and hosted podcasts with Bleav Podcast Network where his show was a finalist for podcast of the year. Native of El Dorado, he currently resides in Central Arkansas with his wife and daughter.

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