Pittman previews Arkansas spring QB battle
For the first time during the Sam Pittman era, Arkansas will have a true quarterback battle throughout spring practice.
Led by new offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino, the competition will be primarily between returning redshirt senior Jacolby Criswell and Boise State transfer redshirt junior Taylen Green. Redshirt freshman Malachi Singleton and incoming four-star freshman KJ Jackson will also give it their best, but they're expected to provide a solid foundation of depth for the Hogs in 2024.
The goal is for Arkansas to have a clear-cut starter by the end of spring practice, according to Pittman.
"Yeah, I think we can," Pittman said Tuesday. "With some of the things that we’re doing, 7-on-7, we’ll be able to … It’s going to be a lengthier period, more reps. We need to. We have to, to see who can throw and catch for that matter."
Behind former starting quarterback KJ Jefferson last season, Criswell made four appearances against Western Carolina, Auburn, FIU and Missouri and completed 17-of-27 passes (63.0%) for 143 yards and three touchdowns. He added another 44 net-yards on the ground, including a 60-yard scramble against Auburn.
"He’s got a strong arm," Pittman said. "I think that’s the thing, and he’s a guy that you can count on work-ethic-wise, and things of that. I certainly wish he will continue to get more vocal, and those leadership skills verbally in being more vocal. But he’s got a strong arm, and it’ll be a battle there between those guys."
Green was an early commitment out of the transfer portal for the Razorbacks this offseason, and his highlight tape had fans hyped-up almost immediately. A 6-foot-6, 221-pound dual-threat athlete with a big arm, Green has all the intangibles to be the next great Petrino signal caller.
"Taylen Green’s outgoing," Pittman said. "He’s got a personality. Says what he’s thinking, but not too much, if you know what I mean. He’s got a lot of respect from him coming in here, from the team, and obviously from the coaches, but his work ethic and things of that nature. I think he might have a little advantage on all of the guys because he ran a team. It may come a little bit more natural right now for him than everybody else, at this point."
In 13 games with the Broncos during his 2023 campaign, Green completed 121-of-212 passes (57.1%) for 1,752 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also rushed for 436 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground. Green's best game came in the Mountain West Conference Championship against UNLV, an offensive MVP performance that included two passing and rushing touchdowns.
"But the quarterback battle, there’s basically five guys in there vying for that spot," Pittman said. "Obviously with Taylen and Malachi and Criswell … I like (Austin) Ledbetter, I mean him coming over from baseball. He’s done a nice job of showing his leadership ability. Then I think we’ve got something special with KJ Jackson for our future. So we need to figure out all that kind of stuff. Excited to get going with that battle."
The biggest challenge in determining the starter will have to due with experience, as Green is the only signal caller on the team with multiple starts in his collegiate career. To help combat that, Pittman and the Hogs are opening up some Saturday scrimmages to the fans to prepare the players for crowd pressure.
"So part of the thinking with opening up the practices is because we are going to have some young kids and the quarterbacks, especially, besides Taylen, that haven’t played in front of people," Pittman said. "And hopefully it’ll kill two birds with one stone. We invite the state in to watch the kids play and then they’ll play in front of people and it might help them and we’ll be able to find out a little bit more about them."
Spring practice for the Razorbacks begins on Thursday morning, and Arkansas will hold 14 practices prior to the program's annual spring game on Saturday, April 13. Be sure to subscribe to HawgBeat and tune into our premium message board — The Trough — for the latest information, videos and more.