Why Bush Hamdan’s former Boise State QB expects Kentucky football players to love new OC

Bush Hamdan’s last quarterback anticipates a strong bond between the Kentucky football offensive coordinator and his new players.

“You can talk to him about anything,” Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green, who played for Hamdan at Boise State last season, said Thursday morning at SEC Media Days. “He jokes around all the time, but on the field he’s always prepared, he’s always dialed in, he always has details and stuff like that.

“I feel like offensively the players are going to gravitate towards him and they’re going to play for him and just want to be the best for him and for themselves.”

Green’s stats actually dipped from 2022 when he was named Mountain West Freshman of the Year to 2023 when Hamdan took over as offensive coordinator, but he still was able to attract interest from the Southeastern Conference after entering the portal.

Last season, Green completed 57.1% of his passes for 1,752 yards, 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He rushed for 436 yards and nine touchdowns on 78 carries.

When Green entered the transfer portal after being named MVP of the Mountain West championship game in December, Boise State coach Spencer Danielson made it clear Boise State would attempt to convince Green to return. Hamdan was still offensive coordinator at the time as he did not move to Kentucky until February.

Green ultimately elected to transfer to Arkansas to play for new Razorbacks offensive coordinator and former Louisville head coach Bobby Petrino. Petrino was the first coach to offer Green a scholarship in high school as head coach at Missouri State.

“I think (Petrino) is the best offensive coordinator and offensive mind in the country,” Green said. “I’m grateful to have this opportunity. Right when he walks in the room, all the quarterbacks are getting ready (to take notes). You have side conversations, but when you watch him, we’re quiet. It’s like a classroom when the teacher walks in. That’s what I love.”

While some of the appeal of hiring Hamdan at Kentucky has been his ability to maintain a pro-style system similar to what UK ran under Liam Coen and Rich Scangarello the last three seasons while increasing tempo by transitioning to a mostly no-huddle approach, Green expressed excitement to operate out of the huddle for the first time in Petrino’s offense for Arkansas.

Still, Green expects success for Hamdan at Kentucky.

“Not even just the quarterbacks, but he connects with the O-line, he connects with the tight ends, the receivers,” Green said. “Just the connection that he has, the players just want to play for him and just want to do good just because how he is as a person.”

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