Dan Enos evaluates Arkansas' quarterback room behind KJ Jefferson

Having depth at key positions is a critical part of developing a college football roster. The Arkansas Razorbacks learned that lesson last season when their star quarterback KJ Jefferson was riddled with injuries and had to miss time on the field.

Fost forward this year’s fall camp, and Arkansas is putting a premium on ensuring that the rest of their quarterback room is developed to prevent the mishaps from last season. Which is why recently-hired offensive coordinator, Dan Enos, took some time recently to provide an evaluation of the quarterbacks behind Jefferson and how they have been coexisting during fall camp.

“We got a good group. These guys work really hard: Jacolby (Criswell), Cade Fortin, and Malachi (Singleton),” said Enos. “They all come to work every day, got blue-collar mentality. We grind it out, so we meet a lot this time of year, and these guys are great note-takers and listeners.

“It’s a really well-rounded room. We’ve got some young guys in the room, Rykar Acebo, in there with us, too. And then we got some elder statesmen with Cade and KJ. So it’s a really well-rounded room. It’s a very talented room. But the thing I’m most impressed about is the amount of respect they have for one another. These guys are not jealous of one another, which is sometimes in quarterback rooms can be tough because only one guy is going to play. And everybody wants to be the guy that goes out there when the game starts.”

With Jefferson’s tough physical style of playing quarterback, it is possible that he could end up banged up again in 2023. But this time around, the Arkansas quarterback room has the depth and players with the right mentality to keep the team afloat should their star quarterback go down this season.

Kenny Guiton shares Dan Enos’ impact on Arkansas offense

Arkansas is preparing to debut a new offense in 2023, one led by new offensive coordinator Dan Enos. Enos is a long-time friend of Sam Pittman‘s and takes charge after Kendal Briles departed for TCU.

The veteran 55-year-old coordinator has already impressed his peers on the Arkansas staff.

“Just a smart guy, you can tell he’s seasoned, been through it before, knows what to expect, knows what first-day mistakes are going to happen,” receivers coach Kenny Guiton said. “He knows what’s going to happen before it happens, so just one of those coaches to learn from because he is a vet.”

Enos had had stints at a number of programs prior to heading the Arkansas, from Alabama to Miami, from Cincinnati to Michigan, from Central Michigan to Michigan State and just about everywhere in between.