Imagine a simple revenge story: A college football player is running the field with a rather ‘weak’ build, with heavy opponents knocking him down black and blue. But then it’s the moment of redemption, which would bear fruit in the upcoming season, not for you but for your team. That’s precisely what the Arkansas quarterback, Taylen Green, experienced. Coming off an electrifying 2024 season, with 3,154 yards with 15 touchdowns and added eight rushing touchdowns, Green is back as the starting quarterback, and head coach Sam Pittman couldn’t be more thrilled.

Folks are murmuring: Is Taylen Green a first-round draft prospect? He’s got the body, the arm, and now that SEC résumé. Let’s discuss the body aspect, because that wasn’t natural. No, not like the classic steroid scandals. Green spoke out about his wellness kick on the Morning Mayhem show with David Bazzel, Roger Scott, and Josh Neighbors, confessing that he’s been gulping down those juices and superfood shots to hone both body and mind before the season.

When Green was questioned about why he appeared to be so different, in other words, “bigger and thicker” compared to last season, he was frank about it. “That was definitely one of my goals is to get bigger, but strength in all, like the small muscles around my body,” Green said on the podcast. “Coach [Ben] Sowders and his strength staff has done an amazing job, and Vince and the training staff have done an amazing job, and then they got me on meal shakes and breakfast shakes, and I wasn’t happy about it at first, but I see it working, so that’s why I’m glad the way my body looks, and it prepares me for the season.” As the Razorbacks entered 2025 spring camp, Green arrived as QB1, and everyone wanted to know what he’d do after a crazy breakout last fall.

Right from the start, the guy fit in. Green’s presence and size in the huddle are as blindingly apparent as ever. Green isn’t only running plays, he’s checking the field, making checks, and demonstrating he’s that next-level leader Arkansas’s been needing. He weighed about 224 lbs last year; this spring, several beat writers have reported that he’s up to nearly 230 lbs, most of it in the upper body and core; however, the official report still says it’s 224 lbs. He admits he was that last year he was, “a little banged up,” and that experience flipped a switch for him. But now? He’s all-in on what he calls the “little things” that keep him on the field and out of the trainer’s room: stretching, rolling out the soreness, and listening to the strength and training staff like they’re gospel.

When you watch him stand in the pocket or run on scrambles, it’s clear: he’s running harder, knocking off tacklers, and his throws are even sharper. At first, Taylen wasn’t a big fan of these extra routines, but seeing the pay-off in terms of how his body feels has sold him. That’s a big-time thing for an SEC mobile QB; guys his size are supposed to be playmakers and get hit week in and week out. Head coach Pittman has been adamant that with Green stepping up and developing, the offense will be explosive. And that’s why he’s not forcing the ball. He’s steady, allowing the game to come to him and not flinching when the defense presents new looks at him. Taylen’s change isn’t always about show; it’s about providing the Razorbacks with an advantage for the upcoming season.

Taylen Green’s second-year game plan

It’s Taylen Green’s second year with the Razorbacks, and if you need a snapshot of where his head and heart are, just go back and replay his SEC Media Days interviews. The guy could not stop buzzing about how much more at ease he is this offseason than he was last year. This time, Taylen is not only memorizing the playbook and “trying to win over the locker room,” he’s the leader, the huddle glue guy, and the guy players rally around.

A year ago, Green confesses, it was all a blur, a new team, new coaches, and the daunting task of filling in for a fan favorite like KJ Jefferson. This July, he spoke at great length about how much of a difference a year can make: being at ease with Bobby Petrino‘s offense, having his routine down pat, and, above all, knowing what to expect from the grind of the SEC. “And now I have the film to look at from last year, not just looking at install tapes of – of course, Lamar Jackson and the past quarterbacks that’s been here, that’s run Coach Petrino’s offense,” he said.

Green emphasized what he learned from Bobby Petrino: don’t be a robot, trust your instincts. Observing players such as Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen hasn’t only made him a more explosive quarterback; it’s quicker on reads, looser on his feet, and a bit braver. Petrino also has Taylen with a lot of leeway at the line to check plays and protections, “the keys to the car,” so to speak. With that kind of trust from his coaches, Green stated that his huddle leadership is much more vocal this season.