Bobby Petrino relishing opportunity to work with Arkansas football quarterback Taylen Green
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Bobby Petrino remembers recruiting Arkansas football quarterback Taylen Green while he was the head coach at Missouri State. Petrino, alongside a youthful and enthusiastic coaching staff, discovered the 6-foot-7 prospect before he emerged as a consensus Division I talent.
"They brought Taylen to me and showed (film) and we were all fired up. They’d had great talks with him," Petrino said.
"I said, ‘We ain’t getting him.’ Sorry guys, we’re not getting him.’"
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But the SEC is the biggest stage of college football, and Petrino was finally able to recruit Green this offseason when the quarterback left Boise State and entered the transfer portal.
One of the first instructions Petrino received from head coach Sam Pittman was to go find a quarterback, and the Razorbacks settled on Green.
"I went out and met him," Petrino said. "The thing I was most impressed (with) was when I was talking to him, I could see him picturing the plays and the formations and everything in his mind and his ability to do that. I’ve always felt that’s the one thing a quarterback has to be able to do."
So it took a few years, but Petrino now has his chance to work with Green. The former Arkansas head coach turned offensive coordinator spoke with the media Tuesday and outlined his excitement about the entire offense.
Petrino believes that every unit will be much-improved this fall — he's been especially impressed with the likes of Andrew Armstrong, Tyrone Broden and Luke Hasz — but Petrino is relishing his opportunity to work with Green and all of the quarterbacks.
The Razorbacks still have not officially named a starting quarterback, but Green is the clear favorite. He's taken nearly every spring football rep with the first-team offense, and Petrino admitted Tuesday that the competition is intense to find his backup.
For Green, there's a major focus this offseason on improving the former Boise State quarterback's accuracy. In two seasons with the Broncos, Green completed 59.4% of his passes. That number must rise for Arkansas, and Petrino says the development starts with his technique, and Green has enjoyed the day-to-day grind of becoming a better quarterback.
"The big thing is just being consistent," Green said after Saturday's scrimmage. "Being consistent with my footwork and what he harps on with me and us, is having an expectation of every single drive our goal is to score, and we’re going to score. If we don’t score, you know, he’s going to get on us. That’s what I like. He definitely keeps it real."
One thing that doesn't need added work is Green's athleticism.
Petrino wouldn't compare Green directly to Lamar Jackson, who the offensive coordinator coached at Louisville, but he did say both quarterbacks' true ceiling can't be reached in a practice setting. Green's value rises when opposing defenders are given the opportunity to tackle, and miss tackles, when chasing the quarterback.
Petrino sees Green's explosiveness in individual drills. He's excited for the rest of the country to get a peek this fall.
"He’s pretty special," Petrino said. "When he turns it on and that stride and that speed that he has, he can really run."
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Bobby Petrino relishing work with Arkansas football QB Taylen Green
