Petrino exceeding the hype for Razorbacks
Manage privacy settings
Arkansas offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino brought buzz and excitement to Fayetteville when he was hired by the Razorbacks last November, but the mastermind play-caller has exceeded the hype in the offseason, according to quarterbacks Taylen Green and Malachi Singleton.
Handpicked by Petrino in the transfer portal, Green completed 57.1% of his passes for 1,752 yards and 11 touchdowns last season in 13 games for Boise State. Those numbers cause some concern on paper, but not for Petrino.
VIDEO: Petrino, Green, Singleton talk Arkansas fall camp
"There’s so many things that go into completion percentage," Petrino said Tuesday. "You can’t just judge a quarterback on that because it starts with all 11 guys being on the same page between your pass protection on your offensive line, between your pass protection with your outs with your running backs and tight ends and then the precision of your wide receivers with routes.
"So, I’ve never really — anytime I recruit somebody, I really don’t look at the completion percentage. I’m looking at how they throw the ball, how they compete, what their decision making is as opposed to staying away from percentages."
When asked if Petrino has exceeded the hype since he's been on staff, Green answered "way more." Why? Petrino's knowledge of the game, Green said.
"I would say he has answers to the test," Green said. "Any questions that we have, he has the answers like that. Any questions that we have or any questions that a receiver has or a tight end has, he has the answers. We have full trust in him. We do. It works. That’s what I love."
Petrino's expertise hasn't rubbed off on Green alone, though. Redshirt freshman signal caller Malachi Singleton earned high praise from the 40+ year coaching veteran after finishing the spring as Arkansas' No. 2 quarterback.
"Malachi is doing a great job," Petrino said. "He's got really, really good knowledge. He delivers the ball on time, and he's accurate with it. I don't think we'll ever know how good Malachi is until they have to tackle him. You know, sometimes quarterbacks, when you when you don't tackle, once they have to tackle them, they're a heck of a lot better."
RELATED: Arkansas Fall Camp Practice No. 12 - Depth Chart, Video, Notes
With a resume that includes 137 wins as a head coach across stops all around the country and the development of multiple elite quarterbacks, including Lamar Jackson at Louisville and Ryan Mallett with the Razorbacks, it's not surprising why Singleton and the rest of Arkansas' quarterback room are excited to learn from Petrino.
"(Petrino) is really just so smart," Singleton said. "If you just have one meeting with him for an hour and a half, two hours, he would really show you just how smart he is. He knows so much about… He’s coached in the NFL, he’s coached in college, so he’s been around so much, worked with so many different quarterbacks. The reps, the knowledge he has, it’s just been great. It’s been out of this world, really."
Arkansas will open its season Thursday, Aug. 29, against UAPB at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.