People Need to Tap Brakes on Green
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Even though spring practices haven't even begun, there are a lot of Arkansas fans and even several in the media members who are tabbing Boise State transfer Taylen Green the starter.
A lot of that has to do with people viewing him as Bobby Petrino's hand-picked successor to KJ Jefferson. And while it is true he's the first quarterback the Hogs' new offensive coordinator went out and landed, there's more than enough reason for everyone to slow down with the anointing oil.
First off, while Green was Petrino's first quarterback signee, there's no way to know whether he was who he saw as the best person to run his offense or the best fit for his offense in the Razorbacks' price range. There's a difference.
Green has the ceiling to be a potential SEC star, but if someone were to ask for an honest assessment of where he is based on hard evidence and observation, the only way to answer truthfully would be to say he needs to be slotted as this team's third string quarterback to start if that's something head coach Sam Pittman insists on doing.
It should be noted that earlier this year such a practice was warned against. There are too many variables to assign Green, Jacolby Criswell, or Malachi Singleton to any of the three quarterback slots until at least the end of spring practice. Reps should be allocated equally for now.
You see, while Green has a ton of raw talent and his running ability can potentially hypnotize coaches, he has by far the most growth needed to be trusted to run an offense against SEC defenses.
Turn on the film and Green immediately calls back to the days of Matt Jones. The long, slow stride of the 6-foot-6 quarterback looks like he's barely moving, yet he keeps pulling away from defensive backs as he gallops on long run after long run.
However, his battles with arm strength and how careless he is with the ball kept him in the back-up role for most of his time in Boise. Even last season, for the entire month of October into mid-November, Green was relegated to back-up. Yet, now, there are those who want everyone to believe a quarterback whose struggles kept him on the bench in the Mountain West should slide over to the SEC and be proclaimed the unquestioned starter.
He was once viewed as having an arm with so little zip Boise State was the only team anyone has heard of who was willing to take a flyer on him despite starting at the 6A high school level in Texas. In the years since, he developed the ability to throw a deep ball with reasonable pace.
Green has a soft touch on his throws that make them easy to catch. The one downside is they're also easier for defenders to catch. Green's touchdown to interception ration is alarmingly high.
He and current back-up Jacolby Criswell should find themselves locked in a tight battle. Criswell has more pop on his passes, while Green brings more in-game experience and explosiveness in the run game. Both possess a solid ability to keep their eyes up when the pocket breaks down.
Of course, he first has to prove he can beat out Malachi Singleton as the legit contender to Criswell. The sophomore displayed more than enough raw talent and touch with his powerful arm that it's easy to see him pushing to the front with another offseason to develop. If this were the pre-transfer portal days, it would be good money to bet on him growing into at least a two-year starter who potentially earns All-SEC accolades.
If Arkansas had a game this Saturday, Criswell would likely be the starter. He has the most Power Five experience and appears to be the most even keeled leader of the three, although, to be fair, Singleton hasn't had much of a chance to show that part of himself.
Criswell is smart with the ball and a capable runner. He avoids mistakes that will cost the Razorbacks games and can turn potentially bad plays into positive gains. He also gets his eyes up faster than a lot of quarterbacks. This means the ball gets out quicker, thus avoiding sacks other quarterbacks would normally take. It's a major strength so long as he does it every time and it doesn't become a tip to defensive backs and linebackers.
As for Green, while, as stated earlier, he has the most in-game experience, little is against Power Five teams. When he has started against Power Five competition, it hasn't gone well. For instance, last season in the opener at Washington, he completed just over 48% of his passes and got picked twice. In Corvallis the year before, which was Green's best season, he was better at 19-for-28, but had an interception and no touchdowns.
That's the extent of his Power Five experience. Two games, three interceptions, one touchdown. And that's the the giant anchor holding Green back. He is reckless with the ball. Last season he threw almost exactly one interception for every touchdown, and that was against lesser defensive backs. He also doesn't have the arm strength of Criswell or Singleton.
While his high risk quotient should slot him as the third quarterback at the moment, there's an x-factor at play and it's not the NIL investment that has been made on his behalf. Of the three quarterbacks, Green has the highest potential ceiling.
That's probably a big reason why Petrino was willing to take a shot on him. He sees enough there that he believes he can evolve him from the player who got benched at Boise last year into an elite quarterback. Arm strength should increase with an SEC level strength and conditioning program which can help cut down interceptions. If Petrino can improve how Green sees the field and sharpen how he makes decisions, what he's able to do from an athletic standpoint is off the charts.
However, that hasn't happened yet. It's what makes this spring so interesting. There's endless intrigue around how far Petrino can develop Green over the course of a few weeks of spring practice. Everyone wants to know whether this is a horse whose bad habits can be broken.
Until then, he has to be viewed through the lens of what he's done. He enters the season as a perennial Mountain West back-up with good running ability who is prone to making back-breaking mistakes that will cost Arkansas games.
It's unfair to him for Razorbacks fans to label him Hog Jesus off the strength of a few carefully selected highlight clips. For right now, the closest thing Arkansas has as a starter as far as performance on the field is Criswell with Singleton chomping at the bit to prove his case.
As for Green, if anyone can get him to SEC starting quarterback status it's Petrino. He's just got a little taller hill to climb between now and August than the other two quarterbacks to reach it.
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