This former Boise State quarterback transferred to the SEC. Will he start this season?

Former Boise State quarterback Taylen Green will start at Arkansas this year, Razorbacks offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino said Tuesday.

Speaking after the Razorbacks’ ninth spring practice of the year, Petrino said Green already earned the job. Petrino said he’s moved on to figuring out who Green’s backup will be.

“He’s earned that himself from the minute he got here because of how he conducts his business, how he leads, how hard he studies and how hard he goes in everything we do,” Petrino told reporters in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Green transferred to Arkansas after leading Boise State to the Mountain West championship last December. He was named Offensive MVP of the title game after posting 316 yards and four touchdowns in the Broncos’ 44-20 win over UNLV.

Green, a former three-star recruit from Lewisville High School in Texas, replaced Hank Bachmeier as the starter four games into the 2022 season. He went 8-2 as the starter that year and was named Mountain West Freshman of the Year. Green left Boise State with 3,794 passing yards and 44 total touchdowns (25 passing, 19 rushing).

He was the starter again last season as it got underway, but ended up splitting time with redshirt freshman Maddux Madsen and eventually lost the starting job to Madsen before the Broncos’ win over New Mexico. Green finished that game after Madsen suffered a season-ending knee injury in the first half.

How do salaries of Boise State football coaches stack up in Mountain West, Group of Five?

Petrino, who was the head coach at Arkansas from 2008 to 2011, said he recruited Green while he was the head coach at Missouri State. He also admitted he knew there was no chance they were going to get him because of his athletic ability.

That wasn’t the case last year. Petrino said he reached out to Green a day or two after seeing his name in the portal. He quizzed coaches who had faced Green, including UNLV’s Barry Odom, and Petrino said he was sold after an in-person visit.

“When I was talking to him, I could see him picturing plays and formations in his mind,” Petrino said. “I’ve always felt that’s the one thing a quarterback has to be able to do. That’s how you get better on the sideline and how you get better at halftime. I can say something to him and he can see it.”

Boise State coach Spencer Danielson hasn’t named the Broncos’ new starting QB yet. Former USC quarterback Malachi Nelson and redshirt freshman CJ Tiller have been getting most of the reps with the starters in spring practice. Nelson, a former five-star recruit, transferred to Boise State in January.

Madsen has been limited at practice as he continues to recover from knee surgery. He’s expected to be fully cleared in time for fall camp in August, Danielson said.