The Arkansas Razorbacks head coach, Sam Pittman, now has too many things on his plate. He has found himself a place on the ‘Scorching Hot Seat’ category as per College Football Report’s analysis. Their 2023 season’s 4-8 overall record was their worst since the 2020 season. They got a bit better last season with 7-6. But atleast Pittman can be lucky when counting on his quarterback, Taylen Green. Well, during last season, their offense started to crumble. The Razorbacks averaged a total of 459.4 yards per game, pushing them to No.15 in the nation.
But turns out that Green might be the messiah for Pittman’s squad. Definitely, there prevails some concerns. For instance, the Razorbacks replace 48% of their roster. However, Green is running high with confidence. “I feel like one of the most important things is just to be a leader and just be that glue guy,” said the quarterback at the SEC Media Days. And here comes some motivational boost for Green to keep himself stuck to his purpose like Gorilla Glue.
On the July 26th episode of That SEC podcast, John Nabors of Inside Arkansas was invited as the guest. That’s when SEC Mike dedicated a special segment for the analyst, ‘John’s BOLDEST TAKE for 2025.’ And it revolved around Green. “My hottest take of this year will be that Taylen Green will be at least second team All-SEC in the league at the end of the year,” said Nabors. “I think that [Bobby] Petrino’s ability and his ability because of his arm strength, because of his speed, he’s got to stay healthy just like everybody, but I just really think his numbers are going to be there. I think he’s going to be a lot more confident in himself. I think the receivers are going to help him out a lot more.” But what makes Green the second-best player in the conference?
Credits: Sam Pittman Twitter
Green enters his final season of eligibility after throwing for 15 touchdowns and rushing for 8 touchdowns. Along with this, he racked up 3,154 yards. He showed the ability to make plays both through the air and on the ground last season. So, when it’s about him, it’s all sorted. Now, what about the supporting factors that would fuel Green’s rise? First things first, this marks the quarterback’s second year working with offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino. Petrino’s quarterbacks have seen jumps in production during their second seasons. For instance, when he was the head coach at Louisville, he molded Lamar Jackson to be Heisman worthy.
Secondly, even though Pittman is a bit apprehensive to name off exactly who the wide receivers coach, Ronnie Fouch, will trot out, he sounded confident about a couple of them. Green can count high on Jalen Brown, C.J. Brown, Raylen Sharpe and Kam Shanks. However, the quarterback needs to take care of one thing.
As the analyst noted, “He’s going to be good. So, he’s going to have yards. It’s like, well, don’t forget Taylen Green, man. This guy performed in a high club. He’s got to limit the turnovers, you know, obviously. But I think at the end of the year, he’s going to really surprise some people. And if he doesn’t get all SEC, then I’ll be the first one that says that it’s crap and he got scr- – -d over.” Green committed 14 turnovers last season, including 9 interceptions. While Nabors went all in to glorify the quarterback, here came a bittersweet feedback for Green.
College football analyst sees Taylen Green as dynamic yet flawed
On the Adapt & Respond podcast with RJ Young, the analyst gave a recap of Arkansas’ 2024 season. It reminded Pittman of his fresh blunders, a 31-29 loss to Oklahoma after going undefeated with a 70-0 win against Arkansas-Pine Buff. And how could the Razorbacks’ 2024 run be discussed without naming Green? After all, the quarterback threw for 341 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 81 yards in Arkansas’ 39-26 victory over Texas Tech in the Liberty Bowl. Green robed all the spotlight for his electric plays inside and outside of the pocket. But him having a hard time, tackling sacks was a big blob of ink on an otherwise white canvas.
As Young shared his take, “Like Taylen Green is dumb athletic. We know this. He’s also the guy that can lead you to a win against Tennessee that Malachi Singleton game and finish off for you, but he played really well in that game – people forget this.” Maybe, because of his strengths overpowering over his weakness, Green got lucky to get an invite to serve as at the prestigious Manning Passing Academy. And with this, he continued with the Razorbacks tradition. We have seen former Arkansas stars like KJ Jefferson, Cole Kelley, and Austin Allen gracing the football clinic with their presence.
Amidst all this buzz, Taylen Green did not forget to work on himself. He lifted heavy weights in this off-season and gained about 10 pounds. Along with Bobby Petrino, he has gone through clips of Arkansas greats like Casey Dick and Ryan Mallett, who racked up 32 touchdowns during the 2009-10 stint. The sole mission is to know how much effort he needs to put in to carry forward the quarterback legacy. With all the hype surrounding John Calipari’s squad, Taylen Green might just be the weapon Sam Pittman needs to make Razorbacks football the face of Arkansas again.
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