Quarterback dominoes for 2025 Hogs may have already begun to fall

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – As the season finally reaches the slightly cooler temperatures of October, teams have reached a pivotal point in their future.

Hundreds of players will spend the next four weeks wondering whether they'll start looking into transfer portals or whether they've found a home for at least another season.

Yes, when November comes, there is still a lot of football season left, but certain players who have run afoul of coaches or don't see an opportunity to earn immediate playing time with a team in the future tend to find themselves mentally floundering.

Dominoes will likely fall for Arkansas when it comes to the quarterback position. Maybe everything has already begun.

In the distance on the plains of Auburn, the first faint clink of polystyrene plastic may have been heard. Despite being on the hot seat, Hugh Freeze threw to Notre Dame's 5-star quarterback Deuce Knight, the nation's second-leading dual-threat passer.

That may not be a real reason for Arkansas fans to perk up their ears, but it's another telling sign that the Hogs might be worth kicking the tires again if the former Arkansas recruit and Little- Rock Christian star Walker White wants playing time.

It didn't go unnoticed that when Peyton Thorne didn't seem to be getting the job done for the Tigers, Freeze turned to another rookie in hopes of pulling Auburn out of trouble in Hank Brown. With Brown already the favorite and Knight the shiny new toy, White has a decision to make.

Speaking of decisions, Arkansas' top quarterbacks also have two decisions to make. Should Taylen Green decide, it would be in his best interest to stay here and see if he can fully develop with a second year of experience in Bobby Petrino's offense.

That could automatically make the decision for Malachi Singleton, and it would be hard to blame him if he didn't want to play for a third season at Arkansas.

There were concerns last year that he wanted to head to the bright lights of the Bounce House to play for Gus Malzahn in Central Florida. Of course, it was another Arkansas quarterback who ultimately took a plane to Orlando – four-year starter KJ Jefferson.

However, Jefferson's college career will soon be over. So unless Green decides otherwise, fans would be foolish not to consider the possibility of a former Razorback vying for the Knights' leadership two seasons in a row. Of course, over time, as Green gets used to the SEC and the Petrino offense, he could put things together enough to attract financial interest from other schools.

He would then have to decide whether to take the raise now while he can and hope he has learned enough from Petrino to still find a path to a career in football, or decide whether additional time under the offensive guru offers greater financial value in the long term.

One thing he needs to consider is whether the Razorbacks can actually help him reach his full potential. All the knowledge in the world struggles to counterbalance a porous offensive line and position groups that can deteriorate with a single injury due to a lack of depth.

Even position groups that have quality numbers can collapse just because of how things typically go for Arkansas. At the start of the season, tight end was considered the one strength that couldn't be taken away, but in the first full month of the season, the Razorbacks are without their top three tight ends while Green is tasked with solving the vaunted problems of the Tennessee defense without them.

There's a lot to think about. The only thing that doesn't appear to be on the table is the scenario Arkansas fans were hoping for most.

There's little chance that Green will head to the NFL at the end of the year, handing the reins to a now-experienced Singleton who just earned a major bowl victory after Green decided to prepare for the draft. The one thing Arkansas fans can count on for sure is that Conway's Grayson Wilson will be on campus.

All signs point to him loving the Razorbacks in the way of an old-school Arkansas quarterback, which makes it hard to imagine him going back on his promise.

That's unlikely to change, regardless of recent quarterback decisions, far-off SEC quarterback affairs, or a reshuffle at the top of the coaching staff.

There will be a lot to consider at the end of November. Everything just needs to be sorted out before the candy goes into the bucket at the end of October.

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