Bobby Petrino knew quarterback Taylen Inexperienced might turn out to be a big-time faculty soccer star when he first watched movie of the recruit in 2020. He simply did not know he must wait 4 years to teach him.
Petrino, then the coach at Missouri State, was enthusiastic about Inexperienced’s huge arm and duality as a runner however rapidly realized a participant of Inexperienced’s caliber wasn’t going to finish up within the FCS.
“I had a bunch of younger guys on the employees, aggressive recruiters,” Petrino advised reporters throughout Arkansas’ practices within the spring. “They introduced Taylen to me and so they have been all fired up. That they had nice talks with him. And I stated, ‘We ain’t getting him. Sorry guys, we’re not getting him’. (It was) simply due to his capacity, his dimension and pace and the way in which he can throw the ball.”
Three years later Petrino returned to the game’s huge stage as an offensive coordinator within the SEC, and as luck would have it, Inexperienced entered the switch portal simply days after Petrino was employed to function Arkansas’ playcaller.
The Boise State star was contemporary off a standout efficiency within the Mountain West Convention Championship Recreation, the place he was named the MVP after finishing 12 of 15 passes for 226 yards and two touchdowns whereas including 90 yards and two extra scores on the bottom. Days earlier than the efficiency, Arkansas coach Sam Pittman issued an order to Petrino.
“Once I bought right here, coach Pitt stated, ‘Go get a quarterback. Do no matter you need to do. Get us a quarterback,'” Petrino stated.
Rated the nation’s No. 47 quarterback within the portal by 247Sports, Inexperienced was No. 1 on Petrino’s board.
“The factor I used to be most impressed (with) was once I was speaking to him: I might see him picturing the performs and the formations and every little thing in his thoughts and his capacity to do this,” Petrino stated within the spring. “I’ve at all times felt that is the one factor a quarterback has to have the ability to do.”
Arguably one of many sport’s greatest play-callers, Petrino is thought for his photographic reminiscence. So it is simple to see why he admired Inexperienced’s psychological acuity and rapidly fell in love (once more) with Inexperienced in December.
Inexperienced emerged within the spring as Arkansas’ successor to Okay.J. Jefferson, who broke a number of college passing data earlier than departing in January for UCF. Within the season opener final week in opposition to UAPB, Inexperienced was electrical, throwing for 229 yards and two touchdowns. On the bottom, he added 88 yards and two extra scores on six carries in a 70-0 win. It was the biggest margin of victory in practically 100 years for the Razorbacks, who additionally turned the primary FBS crew in 20 years to attain a landing on their first 10 possessions of a season. They piled up 687 yards, rating third in program historical past.
“Bobby, I am positive he feels fairly good tonight,” Pittman stated after the sport. “Ten tries and 10 touchdowns, that is exhausting to do. I do not care who you play. … it is the primary time in historical past that is occurred, and it occurred when Bobby got here again. The legend goes to proceed to develop. Good for him, he deserves it.”
Arkansas followers rapidly in contrast Inexperienced’s evening to the heydays of Matt Jones, the long-legged quarterback who terrorized SEC defenses along with his working capacity within the early 2000s. For Petrino, Inexperienced could be very a lot a quarterback within the mould of Lamar Jackson, who he coached to a Heisman Trophy beforehand at Louisville. Comparisons apart, Arkansas followers have been in a fervor through the season opener, particularly after watching their Hogs sink to a 4-8 season behind a milquetoast offense in 2023.
“We have seen him at follow, and we thought he’d play like he did,” Pittman final week. “We did not know the way effectively he would run. We knew he was quick, however we simply hadn’t seen it.”
Inexperienced is considered one of 11 gamers on Arkansas’ roster who topped out at 22 mph in sprints through the offseason. When he arrived at Arkansas in January, nevertheless, he struggled along with his throwing mechanics and foot placement on drops. His over-the-top launch was particularly sloppy.
“He is 6-foot-6,” Petrino stated within the spring. “He is an outlier, so his benefit is to be 6-6. When he first bought right here he was dropping down and typically making himself 6-foot. That is been large enchancment, simply his method and his launch and his accuracy have went approach up.”
Inexperienced additionally added 12 kilos of muscle to his body, bulking as much as 230 kilos. Whether or not he can surpass his numbers at Boise State over the past two seasons — 3,794 yards and 25 touchdowns in opposition to 15 interceptions whereas additionally dashing for 1,022 yards and 19 scores — in opposition to SEC defenses stays to be seen. However a robust efficiency could also be sufficient to push the Hogs to a bowl sport in an important season for Pittman’s job safety.
“He is fairly particular,” Petrino stated. “When he turns it on and that stride and that pace that he has, he can actually run.”