KJ Jefferson details growth since first college start

Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson got the honor of representing the Razorbacks at SEC Media Days this week as he approaches his second season as the starter for the Hogs. Since joining the team in 2019 from Sardis, Miss., Jefferson has become one of the SEC’s top dual-threat quarterbacks but he still remembers his first game starting.

Following the dismissal of head coach Chad Morris in November, the former four-star prospect took the field for the first time on the road in Baton Rouge versus the LSU team that would go on to win the national championship. The Hogs lost 56-20 with Jefferson completing 7-of-14 passes for 105 yards while taking three sacks.

“Just going into that game, I wasn’t extremely confident in myself, just going into a hostile environment like that, first game starting in college,” Jefferson said. “I’ve learned from that, just being able to go into a hostile environment and being confident. Also, just making sure that my team and everybody else is on one page and one accord going into a game like this so we’re all on the same page and everybody is locked in.”

The 6-foot-3, 245-pound bulldozer finished second among SEC quarterbacks last season in rushing yards with 664 and six scores. Although he was 10th in passing yards per game with 205.6, he had one of the best TD-INT ratios at 21-4, and he was fourth in completion percentage at 67.3%.

CLICK HERE to subscribe for FREE to the On3 YouTube channel

Versus LSU on the road again in 2021 as the Hogs’ solidified starter, Jefferson led Arkansas to a 16-13 victory in overtime. It was the second of three trophy games the Razorbacks won in Sam Pittman’s second season.

Jefferson addresses sustained success at Arkansas

The Arkansas football program has had a major glow-up since KJ Jefferson first arrived in Fayetteville. The Razorbacks went a combined 5-17 during his first two seasons on campus. In 2021, Jefferson’s first as a starter, they broke out with a 9-4 year. In his eyes, Jefferson believes they have what it takes to sustain that success into 2022.

“I do (think we can). I mean we all just bought in and locked in. We’re all just bought into the process. We are believing in each other, and being more and more confident each and every day. (We’re) just coming in and working,” Jefferson said.

The Razorbacks begin the 2022 season at home versus the Cincinnati Bearcats on Sept. 3.

On3’s Sam Gillenwater contributed to this report.