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Arkansas offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino hasn’t been on campus long since his hiring last November, but he’s already made strong impressions on the Razorbacks’ quarterback room — ones that should make Hog fans excited.
Redshirt senior quarterback Jacolby Criswell has seen his fair share of offensive schemes during his collegiate career. After all, he started at North Carolina before transferring to Arkansas for the 2023-24 season. But Petrino’s offense stands out to the Morrilton native, even more than when he watched it during Petrino’s previous electrifying tenure in Fayetteville from 2008-11.
“Growing up from Arkansas, you’ve seen his offense since you were young,” Criswell said on Saturday. “You didn’t really know, but you knew it was explosive. Now, since I’m in it, his offense is probably one of the most explosive offenses I’ve been in.
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“It’s not hard on the quarterback, but you have to know the details of the quarterback for his offense. With that being said, the quarterback has all the tools. He’s going to give you everything you need. You just go out there and perform, which as a quarterback, you love. You love having control over the whole offense. Overall, it’s just explosive and I love it.”
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Legendary Arkansas signal callers like Ryan Mallett and Tyler Wilson didn’t become the players they were without the help and development from Petrino. With a new group of quarterbacks in town, Petrino will have his work cut out for him — but transfer Taylen Green might be the next big thing.
A 6-foot-6, 221-pound redshirt junior, Green was a dynamic signal caller for Boise State from 2022-23. In those two seasons, the Texas native racked up a combined 3,794 passing yards and 25 touchdowns through the air with another 1,022 yards on the ground and 19 rushing scores. He’s ready to take the next step and Petrino has already drilled him on the intricacy of the position.
“Just knowing football and knowing the ins and outs and knowing the whys,” Green said on Saturday. “Why concepts work against what coverage. Just going through my reads, and the big thing is just being consistent with that and being consistent with my footwork and what (Petrino) 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. Sometimes you don’t wanna hear it, but you need to hear it. You need that info. You need that person to just keep it real and keep it honest, and that’s what I like.”
Redshirt freshman Malachi Singleton was recruited to Arkansas by former offensive coordinator Kendal Briles, and he impressed with his passing ability during the Hogs’ first open scrimmage of the spring on Saturday by completing 11-of-15 passes for 96 yards.
Though he hasn’t seen any playing time under the Razorbacks’ two previous playcallers – Dan Enos and Briles — Petrino’s reign offers Singleton a new opportunity to shine.
“I love how he wants us to be explosive in the run game, as well as in the pass game,” Singleton said on Saturday. “He just wants us to be smart football players. He gives us the keys to the offense, like Jacolby was saying earlier. It’s on us to get us in the right play, get us in the right run checks. Really just having the keys to the offense and being able to play my game and our game, just really been grateful for it.”
Known for his attention to detail and keen sense for attacking defenses, it should come as no surprise that Petrino has spent lots of time at the whiteboard with his quarterback room in Fayetteville.
“He goes into detail every single play,” Green said. “Literally the ins and outs. He’s never surprised at any look of the defense. Every single question that we have, he has an answer for. It’s not going to give him a minute. He’s going to answer it like that. That what I love and what we love as quarterbacks.”
Singleton also made sure to point out his experience with Petrino and the whiteboard, something that should sound like music to Hogs fans’ ears after the abysmal offense that Arkansas put on display last season.
“Yeah, when he gets up there, he can draw you five different blitzes for that formation, that protection,” Singleton said. “Everything can be picked up. We have the chance to change the protection to pick it up. He gets into real detail with it and it’s real easy for us to pick up on. He just makes it real easy for us.”
Petrino and the Razorbacks will practice again on Tuesday, so be sure to follow along at HawgBeat and our premium message board — The Trough — for coverage of every Arkansas spring practice.
