Very Good Reason to Keep Eye on Hogs' Singleton in Fall Practices

Considering rate of quarterbacks getting banged up, backup's role becomes very important for Razorbacks now

Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback Malachi Singleton runs during 7-on-7 part of Wednesday's first practice on the outdoor fields in Fayetteville, Ark. / Andy Hodges-Hogs on SI Images

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Let's not carried away and think there is any sort of competition for the starting quarterback spot in the first practices of fall. Considering history, though, paying attention to what the backups are doing right now isn't always a bad idea.

Taylen Green is the starter. He is a mobile quarterback who hasn't shown any difficulty taking off and running. He doesn't try to run over people like KJ Jefferson did for five years, but Green is faster and will bail out quick if something isn't open.

It's not unusual for backup quarterbacks in the SEC to suddenly be in the limelight. The amount of speed and talent on the defensive side in this league means somebody's going to get banged up. Enter the No. 2 guy.

In each of coach Sam Pittman's four seasons at Arkansas, injuries have forced the team to use a backup quarterback at various points in the season. It's a position to pay attention what's developing behind the guy starting. The odds are good he's going to see playing time at some point.

For the Hogs, that guy is looking more and more to be Malachi Singleton. KJ Jackson has a ton of potential, but but true freshman tend to struggle because everything is different at the level they're playing.

Arkansas Razorbacks backup quarterback KJ Jackson taking a snap from center in practice Wednesday afternoon on the outdoor practice fields in Fayetteville, Ark. / Andy Hodges-Hogs on SI Images

"Malachi had a good day," Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman said Wednesday. "Taylen had a good day. You know you get a guy like that, you want him to throw a completion every time, but as a head coach you want the DBs to be all over him too. Overall I thought they had a good day. I was really impressed with how Malachi played today."

Singleton isn't as tall. He's listed at a fully-stretched 6-1, but that's not the biggest deal with quarterbacks these days. We've had a couple of Heisman winners in Kyler Murray and Baker Mayfield a few years ago that were in that range.

"He's done a great job just being a sponge, asking questions," Green said about Singleton. "Just asking questions to me or asking Coach (Bobby Petrino) and stuff like that."

The Razorbacks will resume fall practices on Friday and Saturday evenings. They have two of the allotted 25 in the books and right now it's all about learning. Singleton and Jackson are doing that from Green as much as anybody.

"It's been really cool," Green said of working with Singleton. "They remind me all the time that I'm the old head. I don't think about it like that. But they always remind me and make a little bit of jokes but it's all good. I tell him all the time that anything that I do, good or bad, just learn from it. I was in that role too. That’s what I did.

"Like I said, good or bad, learn from it and apply it to the next series because you know he’s right up and sometimes we have similar plays. That’s what I don’t take for granted. I know that I have, whether it’s Malachi or KJ or Blake or Austin just looking up, Just looking up to me so I don’t take that leadership role for granted."

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