The best-case scenario for Arkansas football in 2024

New weapons

Taylen Green

The Razorbacks lost their long-time starter at quarterback, KJ Jefferson, to the transfer portal. Without a leader for its offense, Arkansas needed to find a replacement as soon as possible. Luckily, Petrino was already named the new OC before Jefferson left, allowing him to hand-pick his new QB. He chose Taylen Green.

The former Boise State QB is an incredible athlete. At 6-foot-7-inches, Green is a long strider and deceptively fast. His running style is reminiscent of the legendary Arkansas QB Matt Jones. Green just happens to be a better passer.

At Boise State, his stats were inconsistent, but the raw talent is there. With only a few weeks of preparation under Petrino, Green looked like an All-SEC caliber QB during the spring game. Of course, he was repping against second-team players, but the level of competition has very little effect on throws like this.

Ja'Quinden Jackson

The other newcomer likely to make a statement is Ja'Quinden Jackson. If we want to talk about turning heads at the spring game, we can't leave him out of the conversation.

Jackson has everything you want in a running back. He's quick, agile, and tough to start. One of the things he does very well is the spin move. The man makes it look as easy as pressing the B button on College Football 25. However, what makes him stand out, is his attitude.

Jackson has a chip the size of Arkansas on his shoulder. In the post-spring game press conference, he talked about proving people wrong after dealing with injuries at Utah. And when Trey Biddy of HawgSports innocently asked him about his production in the passing game this season, Jackson responded, "I'm underrated in the passing game. A lot of people don't think I'm a great route runner or I can't catch. I played quarterback. Quarterbacks have to catch the ball every play."

If both can live up to their potential, Arkansas could have a surprisingly good offense.