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Three reasons Arkansas football will have success in 2025

While the vibes are gloomy in Fayetteville, there's a bit of daylight that should provide some hope.
ByAustin Farmer|
Dec 27, 2024; Memphis, TN, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback Taylen Green (10) hands the ball off to Arkansas Razorbacks running back Braylen Russell (0) during the forth quarter against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
Dec 27, 2024; Memphis, TN, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback Taylen Green (10) hands the ball off to Arkansas Razorbacks running back Braylen Russell (0) during the forth quarter against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
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It's early August. The sun's shining, and the Hogs are six days into fall camp. In any other typical season, the excitement around Razorback Nation would be breaking through the ceiling. However, this isn't a typical year.

Arkansas football heads into the 2025-26 season with little fan confidence. Since Sam Pittman arrived on campus, he's 30-31 and 14-28 in conference play. The records don't tell the entire story, as Pittman got off to a hot start.

Not counting the 10-SEC-game, COVID-19 schedule in 2020, Pittman's first unencumbered year in 2021 brought Arkansas its first winning season since 2016, and its first 9-win season since current offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino was the head coach in 2011. However, Arkansas' win total declined over a three-year stretch, bottoming out at 4-8 before rebounding slightly to 7-6 last season.

Now, in year six, Pittman heads into a make-it-or-break-it type of season in 2025.

On the bright side, while there are certainly things to be concerned about, there are some reasons to have hope. Here, we'll discuss a few reasons Arkansas will be successful in 2025.

Three reasons Arkansas football's 2025-26 ends in success

Year two Taylen Green under Bobby Petrino

Year two under Bobby Petrino has historically been a launchpad for quarterbacks, and Green could be next in line. Despite mixed fan reactions, Green showed flashes in year one, navigating a new system while falling 39 yards short of breaking Ryan Mallett's all-time single-season yards record at Arkansas.

Now, with a second full offseason under Petrino, the stage is set for a breakout campaign, and history backs it up. Year two QBs like Mallett and Lamar Jackson exploded in their second years under Petrino. The Arkansas great's passing yards went up 242 yards, and his completion percentage went up nearly 10 percentage points between year one and two. Jackson had the largest glow-up, recording 2,314 total yards more in 2016.

Green may not follow the exact same path as others, but it’ll be interesting to see what he can do at full strength. When he went down against Tennessee, the injury looked serious. Yet, miraculously, he was back on the field the next week against LSU, and didn’t miss a game. That wasn’t because he was fully recovered, though.

"Y'all don't understand how bad Taylen was hurt last year. This year, especially the last half of the season, I'd watch out," said Arkansas strength and conditioning coach Ben Sowders during his press conference on July 31.

"I mean, what he dealt with the last seven games of our season, in the bowl game, a lot of people wouldn't even play."

Green’s ceiling this season is sky-high, but his health will be the key to unlocking it. A big part of that falls on the guys up front protecting him. Regardless, it's all for naught if Green doesn’t have time to throw. Fortunately, Arkansas football hit the portal hard for offensive linemen.

Next: Arkansas' revamped offensive line

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