Taylen Green 'engaged' at every level looking towards year two with Petrino

Being a senior returning starting quarterback in college football's premiere conference requires a unique ability to engage on all levels in order to maintain success. Taylen Green's largely under-acknowledged success as a top-five quarterback in the ultra competitive 16-team Southeastern Conference in his first year with the Arkansas Razorbacks hasn't diminished those demands. 

In order to meet those growing expectations going into a second year under notoriously-demanding offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino, Green has enlisted a full spectrum of allies. Those allies include (in no particular order) his roommate and backup quarterback KJ Jackson, the latest virtual reality technology, the top-rated center out of the transfer portal in Caden Kittler, and last but certainly not least of all: a new fiance' from the well-decorated Razorback track and field program in the form of Analissa Baptista.

With Green and Petrino leading the SEC's second-best offense in total yardage in year one, the sky could be the limit in Petrino’s second run with the quarterback he hand-picked out of the transfer portal from Boise State. The 6-6 native of Lewisville, Texas begins the year on the Davey O’Brien Watchlist after falling just 39 yards short of the late Ryan Mallette’s single-season total yardage record of 3,869. 

Green finished 2024 with 3154 yards passing, over 600 yards rushing and 23 total touchdowns. That was good for fifth in passing yardage in the SEC behind Ole Miss’ Jackson Dart, LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier, Georgia’s Carson Beck, and Texas’ Quinn Ewers. Dart and Ewers are now on NFL rosters while Beck — a two-time national champion — will play his senior year at Miami and Nussmeier returns as the leading candidate for SEC player of the Year. 

Despite that distinguished company, Green’s critics point to his relatively modest 15-9 touchdown-to-interception ratio along with four lost fumbles. They also point to Green’s early struggles in dealing with blitzes and reading defenses. When asked in what area he would like Green to improve on this season, Petrino — a notoriously harsh critic — leaves no stone unturned. 

“Not one,” Petrino said. “I've always been hard with those questions, or what's the biggest thing, or stuff like that, because it's the whole package. He's got a lot of areas that he's going to be a lot better at than he was a year ago.”

The Honeymooners

Petrino’s return to Arkansas was not without its harsh critics and stiff opposition as well. The Razorback’s last run at sustained success came during Petrino’s first tenure as head coach from 2008 to 2011. With current Razorback football coach Sam Pittman firmly on the hot seat following a 4-8 debacle in 2023 and the abrupt departures of offensive-coordinator predecessors Kendall Briles and Dan Enos, Petrino turned to the under-recruited Green who was still raw coming off a sophomore campaign with the Broncos where he was benched but bounced back to win MVP honors in the Mountain Valley Conference title game. 

To this point, Petrino’s faith in the player he’d previously courted during his exile from Fayetteville while head coach at Missouri State has paid off handsomely for all parties. Petrino cited Green’s offseason progress in understanding his pro-styled offense, reading defenses and improved accuracy as reasons for optimism going forward. 

“I mean, his knowledge of defenses is way better,” Petrino said. “So he understands, which allows you to make quicker decisions. His accuracy has really improved. His technique helps that. He’s an unbelievably coachable young man and he works hard at his technique and that’s helped him extremely. 

“He knows the offense, too, so that makes it better. That makes everything work a little quicker. It was a pretty big jump from the speed of Boise State to the speed of the SEC, so it took him a while to get used to that. Windows close like that. Defensive ends are up the field like that, so I think you’ll see his maturity.”

Now that their honeymoon phase is over, Petrino says he’s comfortable letting Green take the wheel of his offense and go for what is sure to be an interesting ride through one of the toughest schedules in the country. 

“Everything’s not new to him. One of the things I’ve always tried to do is when you get a second-year quarterback, I get to relax a little bit more on the practice field. Instead of having to run down the field and tell a receiver this, I’ll say to Taylen, ‘Hey, you go tell him.’ He’ll look at me like, ‘The receiver’s lost his mind.’ A lot of them lose their minds. That’s the nature of the position. 

“But he’ll go down and tell him what he didn’t do right on his route or what mistake he made. Then sometimes I’ll start heading that (way) and he’ll be like, ‘I got it.’ It helps a lot. Sometimes it means more to the player when it comes from the guy throwing it to him than from a coach and that’s the leadership you need to be really good at that position.”

Home is where the Noise is

The noise Green hears from certain sectors off the field have been even worse. His underdog status as the 543rd rated player out of high school and the 47th best quarterback helps tune out the negativity and feel right at home here in the Natural State. 

“Honestly, I hear some of it, but at the same time, I’ve always been counted out my whole life. That’s why I love Arkansas,” Green said. “Arkansas of course is not in the ranks of ‘going to win,’ or always counted out. So that’s the mindset we have of just proving ourselves right.

“(It’s) the people that are in that facility. Not just the football players, but the people behind the scenes. The training staff, the training room staff, the strength staff, the EQ, the media, the media people. (We) just have that mindset of just being the most physical team and the smartest team. So that’s what I’ve always had, that chip on my shoulder of just proving people wrong, but proving myself right, and that’s what I’ve always had. My dad is always on me to never get too comfortable and just always strive for greatness.”

One source of the noise directed Green’s way stems from his nine fumbles (four of them lost) and nine interceptions. The bulk of those turnovers got a massive assist from the regression in offensive line play at Arkansas the last two years. 

It began with Enos’ return to Pittman’s staff when the Razorbacks offensive line play plummeted to near the bottom of every metric in the SEC — and in college football nationally. Petrino’s return — along with the arrival of a second-year offensive line coach Eric Mateo, who replaced Pittman’s long-time protege, Cody Kennedy, saw the Razorback offensive line play stabilize last season. 

Still, the Razorbacks ranked 12th in the conference in sacks allowed (114th nationally), and 13th in tackles for losses (112th nationally) last season. That prompted PIttman, who comes into his sixth season as a first-time head coach with a reputation as an offensive line whisperer, to reconstruct his offensive line in the offseason. 

Arkansas landed the nation’s highest rated left tackle Corey Robinson II from Georgia Tech, the portal’s highest rated center in Kitler from Central Florida and mammoth right tackle Shaq McCrory from Oregon. Together with returning All-SEC left guard Fernando Carmona, returning starters E’marion Harris, Keyshawn Blackstock and Kobe Branham, the offensive line craftsmen at Arkansas have run out of room to blame the tools at their disposal. 

Communication is Key

Pittman previously cited miscommunication between linemen as the key to fixing the blocking deficiencies and chose Kitler to unlock the mysteries to his offensive line woes of late. 

“Then Kitler, it was like — can we get a guy who's done the position, played the position in big moments, in hostile environments, who can handle the pressure of making the calls?” Mateo said earlier in camp. “And just the personality. At center, you want a personality that you vibe with as the line coach. I've been really blessed to have coached some awesome centers in my career and when you and your center are on the same page, man it's really hard to be bad.”

By all accounts, Kitler’s vibe is trickling down to his teammates as well. 

“I would say the biggest thing is before I made checks, or before I made a point or a mic call, he already has it dialed in,” Green said. “And that's what the biggest thing is. I don't have to go to the line and do all that. He already is on top of it.”

Green and his backup/roomate and best friend, Jackson say Kitler’s soothing influence isn’t limited to the football field. The redshirt junior from The Colony, Texas also shares a love of pets and down home hospitality with his new teammates. 

“I'm truly grateful to have a bond off the field with them, too. During the offseason I went over to his house and met their whole family. His dad is like a chef and can cook. He can throw it down. Like, he had the whole spread. And just for them to open their doors like that to me — and you know they had never met me. (That) means the world to me. 

“That's what I love about Caden. On the field he's dialed, serious, and he'll let me know, ‘Hey, like, I messed up on this snap. It's never gonna happen again.’ He texted me after the scrimmage —  like a whole paragraph. ‘It’s never gonna happen again.’ So, it’s like, I said. (It’s) his care factor, and he's really, really serious about his work and what he puts on film.”

Digital Film Production

Green’s comprehensive approach to engagement doesn’t even limit itself to on or off the field but into the realm of virtual reality. The mixed reviews of the Razorback basketball team’s experimentation with the NOAH shooting technology notwithstanding, Green is taking cues from former Heisman trophy winner at LSU and reigning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels, who recommended the VR technology Green has been seen sporting in camp this summer. 

Petrino, who still leans toward old-school fundamentals and real world dynamics, reluctantly agreed to sign off on Green’s experimentation with the latest technologies. However he can’t help but feel transported to a far away galaxy. 

“He looks like Darth Vader when he puts it on,” Petrino said in vintage dry humor. “No, he came in and told me he had a conversation with the quarterback from the (Commanders), and he told him that he felt like it really helped him take a step from his junior year to his senior year…So we looked into it. 

“Coach Pittman was great about going and being able to get it for him. They've worked extremely hard with it. I think the number one thing I'm seeing showing up is we've tried to really focus and concentrate on wide vision — being able to see the whole picture, and then you go to close vision to make the throw.”

Petrino said Jackson in particular has a tendency to get distracted by the unlimited possibilities being providing to them, but he’s agreed to continue working with it — so long as it continues to produce positive results in the real world. 

“There’s a few times KJ drops back, and he's looking in the stands at the blonde in row three,” Petrino said. “I’m like, ‘KJ, what are you doing? The defense is over here, man.’ So they work hard at it and it’s fun. We have fun with it, too. It’s something that’s unique and fun for them. They really enjoy it. I think it’s helping us. No question.”

With many Arkansas fans still wondering why Green seemed unable to find tight ends and slot receivers last season, Petrino seems interested to know if VR enhancements will make a difference or what he believes is an upgraded tight end room and receiving corps. 

With SEC leading receiver Andrew Armstrong and third-round NFL draft pick Isaac TeSlaa now in the pros — plus Luke Hasz, Ty Washington and Isaiah Setegna having transferred out for lack of targets and better NIL opportunities, Petrino hopes Green will have more success finding new targets like Jaden Platt, Rohan Jones, O’Mega Blake and Raylen Sharpe among others. 

“If they get open, they will. It’s really easy,” Petrino said. “Quarterbacks throw the ball to guys that are open. So if they get open, they’ll be more involved. There’s no question that they’ll be able to do that. But I think that we have different styles and they’ve all done a nice job of catching the ball in practice and running with it after the catch. The quarterbacks feel comfortable with where they’re supposed to be. They'll be there, so that’s good.”

Creme Dela' Creme

Of course, few things light up a quarterback's eyes like the partner they’ve always looked for. Green found his at Arkansas on the Razorback track team in Batista. The redshirt sophomore middle distance runner from New York caught Green’s eye not long after his arrival in Fayetteville, and Green bent the knee like he just scored a hail Mary, game-winning touchdown in the final seconds of the SEC championship game to earn a spot in College Football Playoffs. 

“I haven't really met his girlfriend,” Petrino said. “I saw her once on his shoulders after the Tennessee game. That's all I know about her, but Taylen's a great young man, and I'm excited for him that he found the woman that he loves and that he knows what he wants to do. He's been pretty much like this with his personality and everything. He doesn't do a lot of ups and downs. He comes to work every day and gives you a full day of work.”

Just like Kitler’s father, a chef, who served up a special dessert when the two quarterbacks visited recently, Green has found something truly special at Arkansas.

“It was something I never had — like, real lobster before. But, he did some lobster. He did, like, what is it called?” Green asked Jackson. “It's like a dessert where they put it on fire?”

Like a good wing man, Jackson was ready with the answer. 

“Crème brûlée!”

“Yeeeeahhh!” They both responded.