Arkansas football finished its regular season in bleak fashion against Missouri – as usual.
The Hogs have never won in Columbia, and have lost nine of their last 11 matchups against the Tigers. Four of the last six times they’ve traveled to Missouri, they’ve taken a lead into the fourth quarter and blown it. That’s exactly what happened in Saturday’s 28-21 loss that dropped Arkansas to 6-6 on the season.
The Hogs had already clinched bowl eligibility, but the loss ensures they will be at bottom of the SEC pecking order for postseason selection. Since that bowl game will do little to generate excitement amongst the fanbase, most eyes have already shifted to 2025 and whether or not Arkansas football coach Sam Pittman can improve the team.
Thinking about next year’s roster obviously starts at the quarterback position, and the outlook in that position room looked pretty straightforward at first glance – until a certain familiar face popped out of the woodwork flinging wrenches.
News broke on Saturday afternoon that UCF head coach Gus Malzahn was stepping down from his role to take the offensive coordinator job with the Florida State football program. The Gus Bus has deep ties to the state of Arkansas from his time at Springdale High School and as the Hogs’ offensive coordinator during the program’s most drama-filled season ever.
That continued into his stint at UCF, where he developed quite the taste for Arkansas quarterbacks – as seen by his courting of KJ Jefferson last offseason. While that marriage ended in disastrous fashion with Jefferson getting benched, the failed experiment doesn’t mean Malzahn won’t have his eyes on offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino’s plate this time around.
Taylen Green in Sharpie as QB1 in 2025
Make no mistake: barring a tremendous surprise, Taylen Green will return as Arkansas’ starting quarterback next season. The Boise State transfer was far from perfect this season, as should be expected given the jump in competition level from the Mountain West Conference to the SEC. But he also made a number of highlight plays for the Hogs and led a remarkable offensive turnaround compared to the Dan Enos debacle in 2023.
The redshirt junior finished the regular season with 2,813 passing yards, good for 4th in the SEC. That’s also the most by a Razorback QB since Austin Allen led the SEC in passing yards with 3,430 in 2016.
He tossed 13 touchdowns and nine interceptions, struggling with indecisiveness at times and making ill-advised reads. That ratio is nothing to write home about, but it’s also worth noting that he threw nine picks at Boise State last year, too. Moving into the SEC and keeping that number constant is impressive, and it’s something he can work on lowering next year.
While 13 passing touchdowns is a modest number, Green punched in an additional seven scores on the ground with 521 rushing yards. Over 3,000 total yards and 20 touchdowns while commanding an offense that finished in the top 10 nationally in total yardage. Not bad. Not bad at all.
Unfortunately, Green was at times a dual-threat headache not only for the opposition, but for Arkansas fans, as well. A troubling lack of ball security led to a number of fumbles throughout the year – including one that cost the Hogs dearly against Missouri.
Arkansas fans looking for some hope to cling onto can also look at the historical trend of Petrino-coached QBs making a big jump in Year 2 as they get a better grasp of his complex offensive system.
Movement Behind Green Likely to Happen
Behind Green, Petrino will continue to try and develop his successor. The young, developmental arms in the metaphorical bullpen include soon-to-be redshirt freshmen KJ Jackson and incoming four-star Grayson Wilson. They’ll look to learn the ropes while Green leads the team and mentors the young guns. Depth piece Blake Boda and walk-on Austin Ledbetter also have eligibility remaining, and will presumably be sticking around.
The interesting case study this offseason will be what redshirt freshman Malachi Singleton decides to do. The former four-star prospect stepped in for an injured Green on multiple occasions this season, including leading a game-winning drive against No. 4 Tennessee – which supplied the most iconic moment of Arkansas’ season.
He also saw action against Ole Miss, finishing an efficient 11 of 14 for 207 yards and a touchdown – a spot as bright as modular LED display boards – in a crushing 63-31 loss. His other noteworthy playing time came in garbage time against UAPB in the season opener, when he finished 8 of 10 for 120 yards.
Those flashes provided valuable experience for Singleton, and will surely have him dreaming of more than a backup role next season. That makes him by far the most likely candidate within the QB room to transfer out this offseason.
Could Gus Malzahn Lure Malachi Singleton to Florida State?
As far as a possible destination, look no further than Malzahn and Florida State. Singleton took multiple visits to UCF back in 2022, when he was an Arkansas commit. The rumor mill even suggested him being a flip candidate to Malzahn, but he ultimately ended up following through and signing with Arkansas. However, that could change in the hypothetical second round of his recruitment.
Florida State will be in dire need of a quarterback, after all. Transfer DJ Uiagalelei flopped, and freshmen Brock Glenn and Luke Kromenhoek did nothing to inspire confidence after he broke his finger in the 5th game of the season. DJU might seek an injury waiver for another year of eligibility, but he’s unlike to get it since he played over a third of the season.
Especially with a new offensive coordinator coming in, the Seminoles’ QB room should essentially be considered a blank slate.
A transfer to FSU would bring the Kennesaw, Ga., native much closer to home. That may matter more than ever given he just had his first child (a similar dynamic played a role in Rocket Sanders’ decision to transfer to South Carolina):
The move would give Singletary a chance to compete for a Power Four starting job under a coach he has a great relationship with. Arkansas, meanwhile, has had three OCs in charge in the short time he’s been involved with the program. Kendal Briles recruited him and then left right after he signed, then Enos happened.
Fortunately, Petrino returning for year two will finally give Singleton some stability in that department. He might not be handpicked by Bobby P like Green was out of the portal, but he’s at least familiar with the soon-to-be sophomore now.
There’s something to be said for the fact that Green is very likely entering his final season, which would put Singleton at the front of the pack for 2026. But Arkansas fans likely wouldn’t blame him much for not wanting to wait in the wings for another year.
Similarly, many fans didn’t mind when Jefferson left for UCF a year ago – it was seen as a move that would benefit all parties. If Malzahn were to swoop in and nab Singleton, it would have to be the first time a coach has poached two quarterbacks from the same school and not made the fanbase go ballistic.
Of course, this connection hasn’t been a one-way street. Pittman did some poaching of his own by bringing defensive coordinator Travis Williams from UCF to Arkansas a couple years ago – though that came with Gus’ blessing.
The story of Malzahn and Arkansas football is one that never seems to end. From “prodigal son” fairy tales that saw him become a proposed candidate for head coach on multiple occasions to the offseason quarterback carousel, the now gray-haired Gus won’t go away.
Despite the way his tenure at UCF ended, don’t be surprised to see Malzahn’s name on the shortlist the next time Arkansas has to make a coaching change. The prophecy has to be fulfilled someday, right?
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Will Bobby Petrino Even Stay at Arkansas?
Petrino has emerged as a leading candidate to be the next head coach at Charlotte, according to multiple reports at the start of the week.
The Charlotte Observer reported Sunday that interim coach Tim Brewster was “considered a long shot” to land the position and that the 49ers other two options were Petrino and North Carolina State defensive coordinator Tony Gibson.
What has thrown even sparked even more fire with the speculation is a photo shared to Instagram that reportedly showed Petrino boarding a plane at the Charlotte airport. There have also been reports that he was seen in his office in Fayetteville on Monday.
It’s all very fluid, but you can keep up with latest on Arkansas football staff rumors here:
More on Gus Malzahn’s move to Florida State:
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