Assessing Arkansas' quarterback situation

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Arkansas currently has five quarterbacks on the roster following the commitment of Boise State transfer Taylen Green on Monday (more on that later), and the positional hierarchy is in dire need of clarity for offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino's quarterback room.

A 6-foot-6 dual-threat capable gunslinger from Lewisville, Texas, Green had a 2022 season to remember with 166 completions for 2,042 yards, 14 touchdowns and six interceptions. He added another 586 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground.

His 2023 season was a step down for the Bronco quarterback, as he only racked up 1,752 yards and 11 touchdowns to nine interceptions. The redshirt sophomore's rushing total saw a decrease too, with only 436 yards and nine touchdowns coming from his legs.

Still, the potential is through the roof with Green. With new offensive coordinator and quarterback guru Bobby Petrino in the fold, the possibility for Green to take over the starting role is alive and well.

The addition of Green does shake up the fact that Arkansas seemingly already has a stable crew of quarterbacks returning in starter KJ Jefferson and backups Jacolby Criswell and Malachi Singleton.

Reports started swirling on Nov. 29 of Jefferson's departure through the transfer portal. He quickly refuted those rumors with an Instagram reel captioned "I haven't made my decision yet."

It's now 12 days later, and the redshirt senior has yet to make an official announcement on his status for 2024. However, the addition of Green seems to indicate that Jefferson could be moving on.

Jefferson totaled 2,554 yards and 21 touchdowns en route to breaking program records in passing touchdowns and passing yards as a third-year starter in 2023. If the Sardis, Mississippi, native does leave for greener pastures, Arkansas already has things squared away with its new portal pickup — at least on paper.

Don't forget about Criswell and Singleton, though. An Arkansas native, Criswell has shown major promise and upside in his limited playing time and performance in practice. He's earned a shot at the primary role under center, and would likely compete with Green should Jefferson move on from the program.

In four games this fall, Criswell completed 17 passes for 143 yards and three touchdowns as a redshirt junior. He also proved his running ability against Auburn, when he carried the ball six times for 64 yards.

The last returning quarterback is Singleton, who has seemingly found himself on a team that no longer runs an offense that fully fits his skill set. The former four-star prospect was recruited by former offensive coordinator Kendal Briles, whose veer-and-shoot, RPO style scheme runs differently than Petrino's more tactical, dropback approach.

Does that mean the freshman doesn't stand a chance with the Razorbacks? Of course not. He's got the talent as a former class of 2022 Elite 11 member, but the road in front of him is full of obstacles, especially considering who is coming up behind him.

Finally, there is incoming four-star freshman KJ Jackson. A versatile option out of Alabama, Jackson can drop back to make deep throws or tuck it and run it if necessary. That skill set sets up well for Petrino's offense, and should give him a shot to crack the rotation after a year learning the offense.

No matter what happens, there will almost definitely be a major competition for the starting quarterback position heading into the 2024 season. With head coach Sam Pittman in desperate need for a quality year, allowing your signal caller to become complacent is a recipe for diaster.

Though there are still many questions, what is for certain is that Arkansas is primed with players waiting in the wings under Petrino — someone who has already coached legends like Ryan Mallett, Tyler Wilson and Lamar Jackson.

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