Petrino Plans to Elevate Skills of Dual-Threat Transfer

Even Sam Pittman feels quarterback Taylen Green's "special" abilities hold key to Razorbacks' success

Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback Taylen Green during spring practice on the indoor field in Fayetteville, Ark. / Andy Hodges-allHOGS Images

This is the first in a series of stories about Arkansas football and head coach Sam Pittman, who recently sat with writer Bob Stephens for a lengthy interview. Visit us daily this week to read a new article.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Whether Arkansas offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino can help turn Taylen Green into a reliable dual-threat weapon who consistently produces points and shreds SEC defenses is the question on the mind of every Razorback fan.

Head Hog Sam Pittman won't speculate, but he has a good feeling about his transfer quarterback, an elite athlete who was the fastest player on Boise State's football team. How fast Green becomes a difference-maker for Arkansas will greatly determine whether the Hogs have a chance to exceed expectations, which are extremely low heading into next week's SEC Media Days in Dallas.

"He is special," Pittman said, his eyes lighting up as he talked about Green, who is a 6-foot-6, 223-pound dynamo with the speed to pull away from defensive backs, bringing back memories of UA quarterback Matt Jones from two decades ago. Jones was listed as the same size as Green when taking snaps for the Hogs.

Early in his career, Jones ran better than he threw, but improved greatly as a passer and left as the school's leader in total touchdowns (77) and total yards (8,392). He was a first-round pick of Jacksonville in 2005, albeit as an athlete who ended up playing wide receiver in the NFL.

Pittman liked what he saw on video of Green, especially when he was named Offensive MVP of the Mountain West Championship game Dec. 2. The QB completed 12-of-15 passes for 226 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 90 yards and two more TDs on just eight carries. That's efficiency at the highest level and the kind of numbers Arkansas will need to survive its usual brutal schedule.

Before anyone gets carried away, Green almost assuredly isn't the second coming of Jayden Daniels, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner who passed (3,812 yards, 40 TDs, 4 interceptions) and ran (1,134 yards, 10 TDs) LSU to a 10-3 record last season. Daniels was a 4-star recruit who signed with Arizona State before transferring to LSU.

Green was a 3-star out of Lewisville, Texas, where he set the school's long jump record while also starring for the track team. He redshirted his first season at Boise State.

He started 10-of-13 games as a redshirt freshman and 12-of-13 last year. The Broncos were 6-2 in the Mountain West in 2023 and 8-5 with Green under center. He skipped the bowl loss to UCLA because he'd committed to Arkansas before the game.

The Broncos started 0-2 with a season-opening 56-19 drubbing at No. 2 Washington, which lost in the national championship game to Michigan, and an 18-16 setback in week 2 to visiting Central Florida.

Pittman liked what he saw of Green in spring practice, particularly how teammates responded to him. The Hogs' fifth-year head coach said his team has good talent and that Green is the type who brings out the best in his mates.

"He's a very, very talented guy, but he's talented in making the kids around him better and that's what a quarterback has to do," Pittman said. "Every position is key to have leadership in, but you better have a quarterback who has leadership skills."

Pittman was impressed with how Green spun the ball in the spring.

"He's throwing the ball extremely well, and did in the latter part of the spring," Pittman said.

He expressed confidence in Petrino, regarded as somewhat of a quarterback savant during his roller-coaster coaching career that included a successful stint as Arkansas' head coach (2008-11). The Hogs were 10-3 and finished No. 12 in the country in 2010 following a 31-26 Sugar Bowl loss to Ohio State. In 2011, Arkansas finished No. 5 in the polls with an 11-2 record after beating Kansas State 29-16 in the Cotton Bowl.

Improving Green's fundamentals has been a focus for Petrino.

"Bobby's done a great job with his mechanics," Pittman said. "I think Bobby continued to make his throwing motion consistent; that's the biggest thing. Bobby's done a really good job with that."

The 62-year-old Pittman also said Petrino, 63, has expanded Green's understanding of the intricacies of the passing game, his feel for scanning the entire field and which receivers to look for and when. "He's improved (Green's) knowledge of where to go and why," Pittman said.

Confidence is key to success and Petrino delivers that to his young proteges, Pittman said. His record of success and developing QBs preceded him.

"Bobby has a really good way of building confidence in these kids," Pittman said. "He had automatic, built-in credit and respect when he came in here."

Green has grown physically, as well as mentally, since arriving on the UA campus, according to the head Hog.

"He's put on about 12 good pounds, and he can fly," Pittman said. "We do know how good a runner he is because we saw it at Boise State. We haven't really seen it (every day in spring practice) because of how you hold off of guys in spring. We know he's fast and big."

Green is not Peyton Manning, or even Lamar Jackson, the dual-threat Heisman Trophy winner Petrino coached at Louisville. But he might be the answer that pulls the Hogs together, and he just might be special enough for most of a dozen Saturdays this fall to elevate Arkansas to unexpected heights.

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