Arkansas football positional previews: Explosive Taylen Green is unquestioned QB starter
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — There are 11 weekends remaining until the return of Arkansas football.
The Razorbacks open the 2024 season in Little Rock against UAPB. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. (ESPNU) on Thursday, Aug. 29.
Arkansas is coming off a disappointing 4-8 campaign that saw offensive coordinator Dan Enos get fired midseason and the eventual departures of KJ Jefferson and Raheim 'Rocket' Sanders, two faces of the program.
In response, the Hogs hired Bobby Petrino and hit the transfer portal, bringing in plenty of newcomers for what feels like an all-important season for head coach Sam Pittman.
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Over the next month, the Southwest Times Record will run positional previews twice a week, asking two questions and providing one bold prediction.
Here's a look at the quarterbacks entering 2024.
Is there a clear starter at quarterback for Arkansas football?
Pittman had fans and media members expecting a wide-open competition this spring, but in reality, the job always belonged to Taylen Green.
The Boise State transfer threw for 3,794 yards and ran for 1,022 across 26 games with the Broncos. He exclusively took reps with Arkansas' first-team offense this spring and completed 17 of 22 passes for 243 yards and three touchdowns in the annual Red-White Game. He was able to blend explosiveness with efficiency and leave a lasting impression heading into the fall.
Green was Bobby Petrino's top target in the transfer portal, and it's a safe bet the offense will be catered to the redshirt junior's strengths. Look for Arkansas to be aggressive hunting big plays and trying to make the intermediate passing game as easy as possible for Green.
Who is next in line?
Pittman and Petrino will hope that Green stays healthy, lives up to expectations and limits the backup quarterbacks to mop-up duty in garbage time this season.
Jacolby Criswell transferred back to North Carolina after spring practices, leaving the No. 2 job to redshirt freshman Malachi Singleton. The former four-star prospect impressed coaches during the spring and usurped Criswell before his eventual transfer.
Singleton will compete with true freshman KJ Jackson to become the Hogs' next starting quarterback whenever Green leaves the program. Jackson is a dynamic athlete who was a priority recruit during Petrino's first high school cycle.
Fall practices and any game reps could play a factor in future quarterback competitions, but both players are ideally a year away from making a major impact on the field.
One bold prediction: Green rushes for 700 yards and 10 touchdowns
Lamar Jackson ran for 3,172 yards across his final two seasons under Petrino at Louisville. Green isn't as dynamic a player as the former Heisman Trophy winner, but he does possess elite athleticism for a quarterback, and Petrino's shown a willingness to turn his running quarterbacks loose.
KJ Jefferson was a terrific runner, but he never crossed the 700-yard threshold at Arkansas. The most rushing touchdowns Jefferson scored in a season were nine in 2022.
Green didn't get to show off his abilities in the run game this spring. Pittman and Petrino saw enough on film to withhold that part of the playbook and make sure they avoided any preseason injuries to their most important player.
Come fall, the training wheels will come off, and Green will be one of the top rushers on the team.
What the coaches said this spring
"(Green) has a pro type of mentality the way he goes about his business, and he’s a good person. Let’s just start there and once you go on the field, he runs like a gazelle. He can run, run and he’s throwing the ball, he’s got some accuracy on his throws. Glad he’s on our team, but it starts with the person that he is and the work ethic that he has. Very pleased with what I’ve seen out of him."
— Defensive coordinator Travis Williams on what it's like to go against Taylen Green in practice.
Projected depth chart
Taylen Green, redshirt junior
Malachi Singleton, redshirt freshman
KJ Jackson, freshman
Blake Boda, redshirt freshman
Austin Ledbetter, redshirt freshman
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Explosive Taylen Green leads Arkansas football quarterbacks in 2024
