Dan Enos expresses confidence in Jacolby Criswell behind KJ Jefferson

Arkansas offensive coordinator Dan Enos has a lot of confidence in Jacolby Criswell to helm the offense in the event that quarterback KJ Jefferson is hurt. And the endorsement from Enos went beyond coaching platitudes.

In discussing Criswell and his capabilities at quarterback, Enos shared how impressed he is with the transfer quarterback’s arm talent and athleticism. He offered up an anecdote from a recent practice to reinforce his argument for the latter.

“He’s got tremendous arm talent, like elite arm talent. He can make throws into windows — I mean he threw a post the other day like 60-some yards in the air into a breeze. So he can make some of those ‘Wow’ throws that a lot of guys can’t make,” Enos said.

Much like Jefferson, Criswell isn’t a statuesque pocket passer. Enos raved about Criswell’s ability to flat-out run with his 6-foot, 220 pound stature.

“But then when you throw on top of it that he can run. He ran 21-plus miles this summer, I believe,” Enos said. “He’s a guy that can do ’em both.”

Criswell transferred to Arkansas from North Carolina after the 2022 season. He had lost a quarterback battle to Drake Maye in fall camp that was apparently fairly competitive and didn’t play much during the season. Criswell, a former four-star recruit and Top 300 player in the 2020 signing class according to the On3 Industry Ranking, bet on himself and hit the transfer portal. He landed with the Razorbacks in his home state.

He’ll start the 2023 season as Jefferson’s backup, but from the way Enos raved about his talents, Criswell may well be in the offensive plans in some way or another sooner, rather than later, for Arkansas.

“He’s really smart, studies the game, and we have a lot of confidence in Jacolby. And I think he’s just going to continue to get better,” Enos said.

Enos is tailoring his coaching style to Jefferson and his unique style

Jefferson, isn’t like anything Enos has seen before, but the Razorbacks coordinator believes his potential is through the roof moving forward.

“So I think KJ is a guy that can do a lot of different things,” added Enos. “I think he could be a true drop-back passer, and get by and be very, very good at it. Like I said, he’s got great eyes. Anticipation. Great arm talent. But man, this guy is a big, really, really good, natural runner. He’s got great vision. He sets up blocks. He’s a tremendous athlete. We’re going to find a nice, good balance between letting him do the things he can do with his arm, and then also I would probably say allowing him to do the things with his legs. At the end of the day, to make us the most efficient offense we can be, and to help our football team win.

“So he’s a really good athlete, and he’s again, I’m getting to know him. I’ve gotten to know him, and he’s different. He’s different than the other guys.”