Arkansas’ 2026 quarterback picture is starting to take shape, and the early read points to KJ Jackson as the guy on top of the depth chart.
Jackson, listed at 6-3 and 225 pounds, sits first among the quarterbacks in the projected 2026 order. Behind him is AJ Hill, a 6-4, 232-pound redshirt freshman who has plenty of upside but still has work to do before he can be viewed as the clear answer. Braeden Fuller and Cade Trotter round out the group.
The projection comes after the spring, when every open practice was tracked and roughly half of the team’s work was watched across 15 practices. The depth chart was built with at least three players at every position and as many as four at others, with no “OR” designations anywhere.
The next look at the roster will come in mid-August, after Arkansas has gone through more than a dozen practices that will be closed to the media. The team opens practice on Aug. 5 and is scheduled to hold 25 practices over 29 days before the season opener against North Alabama on Sept. 5 at 3:15 p.m. CDT at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville.
For now, the quarterback takeaway is straightforward: based on what has been seen in practice, Jackson appears to have the edge. Hill has the talent to keep pushing, but unless he has made a major offseason leap in everything from his feet to his throwing motion, it is hard to call him the favorite. Some quarterbacks show it when the lights come on and some do not, but Arkansas can only judge what it sees on the practice field, and Jackson has looked like the better practice player.
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