Photo Credit: Mountain West Conference / Arkansas Athletics
If there’s one position at which Arkansas is known for producing stars, it’s running back.
Razorback teams in the 21st century have frequently featured star tailbacks, from Darren McFadden, Felix Jones and Peyton Hillis under Houston Nutt to Knile Davis and Alex Collins in the 2010s. Rocket Sanders also spearheaded the Arkansas rushing attack for two seasons under Sam Pittman.
Most recently, Utah transfer Ja’Quinden Jackson was brought in from the portal after Sanders left for South Carolina. The talented senior rushed for 790 yards and 15 touchdowns last year.
Jackson was ranked as a top-five transfer running back last cycle, per 247Sports. But the Hogs apparently came within a hair of landing an even higher caliber tailback out of the portal.
Arkansas obviously brought in Boise State transfer quarterback Taylen Green last year, but according to NFL Draft analyst Thor Nystrom, he’s not the only member of the Broncos’ backfield the Razorbacks pursued.
Nystrom, an analyst for Fantasy Life, said via Twitter on Wednesday that Arkansas “made a hard push” to land Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty “as part of a package deal” with Green.
As a sophomore in 2023 – with Green starting at quarterback – Jeanty led the Mountain West Conference with 1,347 rushing yards and punched in 14 touchdowns. If he had entered the portal last offseason, he would have immediately been the top player available at his position.
Jeanty decided to stay at Boise State, and rushed for a nation-leading 2,601 yards and a whopping 29 touchdowns, spearheading a Broncos team that won the MWC and reached the College Football Playoff. He finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting, but won the Maxwell Award and was a consensus All-American. He was selected sixth overall in the NFL Draft by the Las Vegas Raiders.
But there was a period last offseason where Jeanty was evaluating his options and considering a move to a Power Four school. Arkansas was far from his only suitor, but Nystrom said the Hogs were a serious contender in the weeks after they landed Green.
“Jeanty and Green initially wanted to transfer to the same place together if they were gonna bounce. Arkansas pursued both of them concurrently,” Nystrom told Best of Arkansas Sports. “Boise was able to slap together a package for Jeanty that was ultimately within range of the things that were on the table and he obviously took that.”
“There was a day last January where I thought Jeanty was headed to Arkansas with Green,” he continued. “I believe that if Jeanty would have transferred, it would have been to Arkansas.”
What Ashton Jeanty Would Have Done for Arkansas
The hypothetical addition of Jeanty not only would have been a massive splash for the Razorbacks in the transfer portal, but it likely would have transformed Arkansas into one of the most elite rushing attacks in the country. The Hogs already finished 10th nationally in total yardage thanks to new offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino, but they were 34th in the country in rushing offense with 184.8 ground yards per game.
Boise State, by contrast, finished eighth with 240.4 yards per contest. Even with the talented defensive fronts Arkansas faced in the SEC, the addition of Jeanty would very likely have vaulted the Razorbacks into at least the top 15 in rushing.
With three of Arkansas’ six losses last season coming by one possession, those extra yards on the ground could have made the difference against opponents like Texas A&M or Oklahoma State. Having Jeanty in the backfield not only would have boosted Arkansas’ perception as a transfer destination, but those potential extra couple wins would have changed the way most fans felt about last season.
No doubt, a 9-4 season looks a lot better than 7-6.
Taylen Green Relegated to Tight End?
Despite his optimistic take on Arkansas’ chances of landing a Heisman-caliber player in the portal, Nystrom is much lower on Green as an NFL prospect, suggesting a position change to tight end. The Razorback gunslinger is listed by Pro Football Focus as a top 10 quarterback prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft class alongside fellow SEC QBs like Texas’ Arch Manning and LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier.
“Green is among the most physically gifted quarterbacks in college football at 6-foot-6 and 230 pounds with outstanding mobility and arm talent,” PFF’s Max Chadwick wrote. “His 22 big-time throws in 2024 were tied for the ninth most in the Power Four, and his 453 rushing yards after contact were the fifth most. If he can avoid some of the head-scratching mistakes that still plague his tape (17 turnover-worthy plays in 2024), he can become a potential first-round prospect.”
The charitable view of Green’s status is that he can improve his decision-making and accuracy and utilize his elite physical profile to become an NFL franchise quarterback. The pessimistic view that Nystrom takes is that he won’t be able to make that jump, and thus his tools are best used at a skill position a la former Razorback quarterback Feleipe Franks.
Nystrom cited his plus wingspan, height and 4.5-second 40-yard dash time as indicators that Green could cut it as a tight end.
While he didn’t end up getting to have his Boise buddy by his side in Fayetteville, Green will have to prove his doubters wrong and take his passing game to the next level as a senior.
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