Sam Pittman says KJ Jefferson is fully cleared

KJ Jefferson was left on the sideline for last weekend’s loss to No. 16 Mississippi State, but is expected to be available on the road against BYU this weekend. Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman confirmed Jefferson will be fully suited on the practice field this week.

“It’s a normal week, he just can’t get hit today would be that protocol,” Pittman said Monday. “He never gets hit anyway at practice, so he can go ahead and do his full thing today.”

Jefferson is dealing with what is likely a concussion, though it has been deemed a head injury. After he had a mild headache late in the week prior to Arkansas playing the Bulldogs, Pittman made the decision that he wouldn’t play.

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In place of Jefferson, Arkansas featured Malik Hornsby at quarterback. The redshirt sophomore went 8-for-17 passing for 234 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Hornsby is, like Jefferson, a legitimate running threat, too. He rushed eight times for 114 yards.

Having the weekend off has seemingly done the trick, and Jefferson is expected to lead the Razorbacks to victory against a tough BYU team. Sitting at 3-3, including a 1-3 conference record, Arkansas is in desperate need of this non-conference victory before getting back to the always-tough SEC schedule in four of the next five weeks.

With games against Auburn, LSU and Ole Miss still on the docket, and no victory in the SEC ever guaranteed, the Razorbacks could be toeing the line between bowl eligibility and a bottom spot in the SEC West – a title they occupy heading into Week 7.

Arkansas is a 1.5-point early favorite over BYU at home heading into the matchup, and kickoff between the Razorbacks and Cougars is set for 3:30 p.m. ET live on ESPN.