Arkansas Offensive Coordinator Bobby Petrino waited four years to finally coach QB Taylen Green

When Bobby Petrino first saw film of the new recruit in 2020, he knew that quarterback Taylen Green had the potential to be a major college football star. He just didn't know that he would have to wait four years for his coaching job.

Petrino, Missouri State's coach at the time, was impressed with Green's strong arm and versatility as a runner, but quickly realized that a player of Green's caliber would not end up in the FCS.

“I had a bunch of young guys on the team, aggressive recruiters,” Petrino told reporters during Arkansas' spring workouts. “They brought Taylen to me and they were all excited. They had great conversations with him. And I said, 'We're not getting him. Sorry, guys, we're not getting him.' (It was) just because of his skill set, his size and speed and the way he can throw the ball.”

Three years later, Petrino returned to the big stage as offensive coordinator in the SEC, and as luck would have it, Green joined the team just days after Petrino was hired as Arkansas's playmaker.

The Boise State star had just put together a standout performance in the Mountain West Conference Championship Game, where he was named MVP after completing 12 of 15 passes for 226 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for 90 yards and two more scores on the ground. Days before the performance, Arkansas coach Sam Pittman gave Petrino an instruction.

“When I got here, Coach Pitt said, 'Get a quarterback. Do whatever you want. Get us a quarterback,'” Petrino said.

Green was ranked the 47th quarterback in the country by 247Sports and was No. 1 on Petrino's list.

“What impressed me the most was when I talked to him: I could see how he envisioned the plays and formations and everything else and how he was able to execute it,” Petrino said in the spring. “I've always thought that's the only thing a quarterback needs to be able to do.”

Petrino is arguably one of the best playmakers in the sport and is known for his photographic memory, so it's easy to see why he admired Green's mental acuity and quickly fell in love with Green (again) in December.

Green emerged in the spring as Arkansas' successor to KJ Jefferson, who broke several school passing records before transferring to UCF in January. In last week's season opener against UAPB, Green was electric, throwing for 229 yards and two touchdowns. On the ground, he added 88 yards and two more scores on six carries in a 70-0 victory. It was the biggest win in nearly 100 years for the Razorbacks, who also became the first FBS team in 20 years to score a touchdown on its first 10 possessions of a season. They amassed 687 yards, ranking third in program history.

“Bobby, I'm sure he feels pretty good tonight,” Pittman said after the game. “Ten attempts and ten touchdowns, that's hard to do. I don't care who you're playing against. … that's the first time in history that's happened, and it happened when Bobby came back. The legend will continue to grow. Good for him, he deserves it.”

Arkansas fans were quick to compare Green's night to the glory days of Matt Jones, the leggy quarterback who terrorized SEC defenses with his running ability in the early 2000s. To Petrino, Green is a quarterback in the mold of Lamar Jackson, whom he previously coached to a Heisman Trophy at Louisville. Comparisons aside, Arkansas fans were ecstatic during the season opener, especially after watching their Hogs slip to a 4-8 season in 2023 behind a weak offense.

“We saw him in practice and thought he was going to play like he did,” Pittman said last week. “We didn't know how well he was going to run. We knew he was fast, but we just hadn't seen it.”

Green is one of 11 players on Arkansas' roster who reached top speeds of 22 mph in sprints during the offseason. However, when he arrived at Arkansas in January, he struggled with his throwing technique and foot placement on drops. His over-the-top release was particularly sloppy.

“He's 6'6,” Petrino said in the spring. “He's a breakaway, so his advantage is that he's 6'6. When he got here, he dropped down and got 6'0 at times. That's a huge improvement, just his technique, his shooting and his accuracy have improved tremendously.”

Green has also gained 12 pounds of muscle and now weighs 230 pounds. Whether he can top his numbers from the last two seasons at Boise State — 3,794 yards and 25 touchdowns against 15 interceptions, plus 1,022 rushing yards and 19 scores — against SEC defenses remains to be seen. But a strong performance could be enough to get the Hogs into a bowl game in a season critical to Pittman's job security.

“He's something special,” Petrino said. “When he gets it and those steps and that speed that he has, he can really run.”