Back in the day, when it came time for Brandon Allen to leave Fayetteville High School and walk up the street to the University of Arkansas – literally walk up the street – little brother Austin Allen was ready to step into the role as the high school’s starting quarterback.

All he did was win back-to-back state championships during his two years as a starter at Fayetteville High School. And now, the story is playing again at Arkansas. Austin Allen won the starting job this spring, replacing Brandon after a successful three-year run at QB for the Razorbacks. Brandon was drafted in the sixth round of the NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Little brother takes control at UA.

“Brandon’s senior year at Fayetteville, we used to tease him a little bit about what it would be like for him to be holding the clipboard when Austin took his job,” legendary Fayetteville coach Daryl Patton said. “We were joking, of course. But those two always had a great relationship, and they are each other’s biggest fans.

“No one will be rooting harder for Austin Allen next year at Arkansas than Brandon will.”

Brandon set a high bar last year. Check out these eye-popping stats:

Passing yards: 3,440

Touchdowns: 30

400-yard games: 3

50-point games: 4

It’s going to be tough for little brother to match those numbers while leading the Arkansas passing game, though it’s already obvious from watching Austin during the spring that he has the confidence to give it a shot. He’s got a ton of weapons in his arsenal, and he’s got that gunslinger’s mentality to make plays even in difficult circumstances.

In other words, he’s going to be fun to watch. But as good? Only time will tell. Here’s a breakdown of how the Arkansas passing game will look in 2016 compared to a year ago.

QB Play

Arkansas called this spring’s battle for the starting quarterback job an open competition, but Austin Allen was head and shoulders above the rest all spring long. He won the job fair and square, and there was no nepotism going on. He earned it. Allen has been on campus for three years but has only had a cup of coffee or two on the field. He’s thrown only 19 passes during his time at UA, but he’s been learning the whole time, too.

Brandon’s numbers above are all impressive. Because he’d been starting for three years, there was nothing he hadn’t seen before and that’s going to be new for Austin, who will be seeing live bullets for the first time.

Receivers/TEs/RBs

No one in the SEC has a deeper returning receiving corps than Arkansas. Drew Morgan, Dominique Reed and Jared Cornelius are back. So is Keon Hatcher, a potential all-SEC candidate who went down with a foot injury early last season. He’s back at 100 percent now, so this group could be even better. Tight end is an interesting spot, too. Hunter Henry won the Mackey Award as the nation’s best tight end last year, and he was Brandon Allen’s comfort blanket. Jeremy Sprinkle was a great backup, and he’ll be a star in his own right this year. He’ll be a Mackey Award candidate as well. However, the running back situation is much shakier with Alex Collins gone to the NFL after three straight 1,000-yard seasons. There’s plenty of uncertainty in the backfield, and that’s not necessarily comforting to a new QB.

Play-calling

Dan Enos had a great first year as the Arkansas offensive coordinator, proving to be one of the best hires in the country last year. He and Brandon Allen clicked from the start, and more of the same is expected with Austin. The skill sets are very similar, and one added plus is that Austin can run around a bit more and is very good at throwing on the run. Enos will dial into his strengths and get the most out of him. That may also be a situation where Enos is careful not to put too much on him too early, but that also remains to be seen.

One stat – actually two – that must improve

Brandon Allen had eight interceptions last year as a starter, and against 30 TD passes, that’s not bad. But a more apt comparison might come from his first years in 2012 and 2013. In Brandon’s first 16 games, he threw only 14 TD pass and 13 interceptions, an awful ratio. Austin will have to avoid similar numbers.

Greatest concern

One thing that Austin Allen showed during the spring was that he wasn’t afraid to take chances. He threw into coverage often and still made completions, but he also had some picks, too. The biggest concern going forward is how he reacts to seeing new things being thrown at him by standout SEC defenses.

Better or worse?

It’s far too easy – and probably far too obvious – so say that the Allen brothers are cut from the same cloth. There’s no denying that; they’re brothers. Chances are good that Austin Allen will be better in 2016 than Brandon was in 2013, his first year as a starter.

However, it’s going to be difficult for Austin to match Brandon’s 2015 numbers. Experience matters, and Brandon had three years of it entering last year. He played great and had some massive games. He threw for over 400 yards three times, and it’s doubtful Austin will do that. The Arkansas passing game will be worse in 2016 but only because of the lofty standards set by Brandon Allen, Henry and the receivers. This ’16 group will be very good but not quite as good as the ’15 version.