KJ Jefferson explains chip on Arkansas' shoulder as the 'overlooked' SEC program

KJ Jefferson believes it’s time to start mentioning the Arkansas Razorbacks as a top tier team in the SEC.

The Razorbacks quarterback spoke to ESPN’s Matt Barrie on Wednesday during SportsCenter, where he explained that his goal is to make Arkansas go from overlooked to undeniable in 2023, and he’s willing to put that load on his shoulder.

“Of course,” Jefferson responded, speaking of if Arkansas has a chip on their shoulder entering the 2023 season. “I mean Arkansas, just being able to just come to a program like Arkansas, I always wanted to make Arkansas a special place, and do big things and great things here at the University of Arkansas.

“So we always got the chip on our shoulder, we being the overlooked program in the SEC West, so we always take that and use it as a competitive edge, each and every week that we go in and step on the field.”

If that’s Jefferson’s sentiment, you can bet everyone in the Arkansas building is sharing in it. They’ve been on the upswing over recent seasons, but perhaps 2023 is the year they break through their glass ceiling.

Moreover, Jefferson has a ton of hype behind his name, as he’s entering his third season as the Razorbacks’ starter, but he’s doing so with a new offensive coordinator. However, ESPN’s Greg McElroy believes could be a recipe for success in Fayetteville.

“At number three, KJ Jefferson at Arkansas,” McElroy said, ranking Jefferson as the third best quarterback in the sEC. “Now this one’s a little bit more based on upside, also a year of transition. Kendal Briles no longer there, in comes Dan Enos from Maryland. He’s done a good job in the past in the SEC, is familiar, has been at Arkansas, has been at Alabama, spent some time at Miami, he’s been kind of around all over the place. But he’s going to implement an RPO style of attack and Dan Enos understands the quarterback position really really well.”

Moreover, Enos is a veteran coach with over 30 years of experience to his name, and Jefferson definitely fits the mold of a veteran collegiate quarterback. Jefferson has struggled at times in certain spots during his career, but Enos could help clean up some of his mistakes and polish his game. 

“Part of KJ Jefferson’s issues are the inconsistencies, when he’s at his best there are few players in college football that do it as well as he does. The problem is there are examples where he’s not at his best, it might even be from quarter to quarter,” McElroy said. “You think about how well he played against Texas A&M last year in the first half of that football game and then he tries to score a touchdown, would’ve essentially put the game on ice, reaches the ball out, it gets knocked away, fumble, Texas A&M takes it to the house. Next thing you know he’s a completely different player. He’s been streaky at times in his career.”

“It’s just about how consistent will he be, I can’t have the rollercoasters. He’s been a rollercoaster at times the last couple years, I’m hoping so much that we get the best of what KJ Jefferson can offer on a week-to-week basis. Because if we get that, he could find himself at the top spot in the SEC.”

Time will tell, but Arkansas could surprise people in 2023, and it’ll rely heavily on the play of quarterback KJ Jefferson.