KJ Jefferson claims he's the best quarterback in the SEC

KJ Jefferson has no shortage of confidence entering the 2023 season for the Arkansas Razorbacks.

At SEC Media Days in Nashville, Jefferson joined ESPN’s Matt Barrie on SportsCenter, where he explained why he believes he’s the top quarterback in the studded conference entering a new campaign.

“I would say No. 1,” Jefferson responded, asked to rank himself among SEC signal callers. “For sure.”

While Jefferson has his fair share of supporters, there are certainly some fanbases who will disagree with his claim. However, the Razorbacks leader backed his point up with a bit of fascinating reason.

“Just because of veteran leadership, playing in this league, starting a lot of games, playing in a lot of games, just my mindset,” explained Jefferson. “My mentality. The things that I bring to the table at the quarterback position, and also just fulfilling my dreams of becoming a starter in this conference, playing against the best of the best.”

Alas, Jefferson could’ve tried his hand at the NFL this offseason, but instead wanted to take the SEC by storm. It was a tough decision, but missed opportunities from 2022 and the potential of a run in 2023 was too great to pass up.

“Not me being able to play in some of those games from last year due to injury,” the Arkansas quarterback explained, asked why he returned to school. “Then also the quarterback draft last year, it was kind of quarterback heavy, so just being able to come back another year to be able to get my chance, a better shot at fulfilling my dreams and changing my life and my families’ life forever. So just being able to come back and give it one more shot.”

While Jefferson believes in himself, he also knows there’s room for improvement, and he’s been focusing on some key areas throughout the offseason.

“Becoming a more accurate passer, and tidying up my footwork within the pocket, and different pocket movements,” Jefferson elaborated, asked how he’s approaching 2023. “… Keeping my eyes down the field. Very detail-oriented on the the things I’m able to do to become a better passer, and to be better in the pocket, and also just giving my teammates and the playmakers a chance to make a play on the ball.”

KJ Jefferson has all the potential in the world at quarterback. Time will tell if he realizes it in 2023, but it could be a fun year in Fayetteville.