FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – If Arkansas fans are wondering which direction new offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino is thinking about taking things at the quarterback position, his first new offer may have provided a telling tip.
Lake Mary, Florida quarterback Noah Grubbs revealed Saturday morning he had received an offer from the Razorbacks directly from Petrino. And while the Class of '26 prospect announced it by using a Photoshopped image of himself in a No. 15 uniform, made famous by the late Ryan Mallett during the height of Petrino's success as head coach at Arkansas, that's not quite the comparison that fits his film.
Mallett was a giant statue with a cannon for an arm. While Grubbs does display a strong arm in his highlight reel, especially for a sophomore, he has a softer touch on his passes and, in the rare instance it's needed, has shown he can run. Mallett was a thing of beauty when he played, but not when he ran the ball, and it's hard to find receivers who would describe his passes as buttery soft when the ball hit their hands.
The best point of reference is a blend of former Arkansas quarterbacks Brandon and Austin Allen. Grubbs has a quick release and is very business-like when going through his passing process much in the way Brandon handled himself. He will wait until the last second before giving up on the pass, but processes and gets rid of the ball at lightning speed. Of course, part of that is because his receivers push down field. beating defenders so fast Grubbs' first target is usually open by the time he hits the second step in his drop.
The Austin part of the equation comes when Grubbs finally does run. His commitment and agility once he takes off is almost a carbon copy of Austin and he also shows similar skill to throw a great ball while on the move.
What he definitely is not is KJ Jefferson. Of the two, Grubbs would have been better suited to deal with the shortcomings of the Arkansas offensive line this past season. The ball gets out so quickly that only the worst play design can keep him from being successful in the passing game. Plus, under the new NIL plan, he should find himself behind a more typical Sam Pittman offensive line if her were to play at Arkansas.
Twice this past season, Grubbs raised eyebrows by throwing for over 500 yards. Between the two games he accounted for 1,038 yards and 13 touchdowns.
At 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds with plenty of room to grow physically his final two years of high school, he fits the Petrino prototype to perfection. The problem for Arkansas will be that Grubbs fits the prototype for so many other schools.
He currently holds offers from Michigan, Notre Dame and Texas A&M among others and visited during the Wolverine's rivalry game against Ohio State last week. Fans will need to stuff the Arkansas Edge NIL coffers if they want to have a fighting chance because the price tag will be high.
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