AJ Hill didn’t come to Arkansas as a flyer. He arrived as a quarterback with a real résumé, a player who could have helped multiple programs but chose the staff that had believed in him first.
That background matters because Hill’s fit in new offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey’s system looks natural. The scheme has a more old-school feel, and that lines up with Hill’s pro-style game. At Houston County High School in Warren Robins, Ga., he went 800-of-1239 passing for 11,020 yards, 123 touchdowns and 23 interceptions, while also scoring six times on the ground.
His recruiting profile backed up the production. As part of Memphis’ 2025 class, Hill became the highest-rated signee in program history, landing as the No. 61 overall prospect and the No. 5 quarterback in the class. Arkansas was involved early, but Memphis ultimately won out over Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Auburn, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Notre Dame, Penn State, Miami and others.
Hill’s first college season brought only limited work, though he did get his biggest run in an upset loss to UAB under then interim coach Alex Mortensen. He entered after starter Brendon Lewis was hurt and, over a little more than two quarters, finished 13-of-25 for 176 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
This offseason, Hill had a head start in the quarterback race, but redshirt sophomore KJ Jackson closed the gap quickly. Both quarterbacks have been completing north of 70% of their passes in individual and team work, keeping the battle tight heading into camp.
Quarterbacks coach Mitch Stewart has been encouraged by Hill’s growth, especially in how he’s moving now compared with earlier in the year. Stewart pointed to the physical changes and the cleaner footwork he’s seen during spring practice.
"So just understanding that kid loves ball and seeing him develop and you can see his body change," Stewart said. "Even though he's 240 pounds, he was maybe 230 last year, but it was a baby fat 230.
Early on, he was baby giraffe. He'd run and trip and fall over his cleats.
Now you're seeing him and he's staying upright."
Hill’s spring game line wasn’t spotless. He threw the only interception in the Red-White Spring Game on an option route communication issue. Still, he finished 9-of-17 for 95 yards and added a rushing score, so the day was far from a loss.
Hill knows exactly what still needs work before fall camp opens next month. The focus is on quicker feet, a faster release and more study of the offense through VR work and iPad sessions.
"Most definitely my feet, just getting my arm quicker," Hill said of what he needs to improve on during the offseason. "Foot speed, get my arm quicker. Just keep studying the offense, go through all these practices with the VR, and watch it on iPad, and just see what I could have done better, and just try to get that ready for fall camp."
Arkansas coach Silverfield said a final decision on the starting job likely won’t come until around the middle of August, and he made clear that both Hill and Jackson have a chance to be difference-makers.
"We won't have a definitive answer, probably until midway through August," Silverfield told Arkansas Razorbacks on SI last month. "Obviously, training camp is a little bit shorter this year, but I'm excited to see where it goes. Both guys are certainly capable.
"They both, AJ and KJ, have fantastic skillsets, they're both leading, they're doing all those things, but no, I think it's one of the things that's going to go probably through late August, and then we'll have an answer."
For Cramsey, Hill’s edge shows up in the pocket. He sees a quarterback who processes well before the snap and is still sharpening what happens after it.
"I think AJ's strongest asset is his poise, his mind and his ability to put us in a great situation," Cramsey said in an interview with Hogs Plus. "I refer to quarterbacks as pre-snap or post-snap adjusters and AJ is a tremendous pre-snap adjuster and he's getting better at the post-snap."
Hill, for his part, is focused on the bigger picture: making every rep count while keeping the room together, no matter how the competition ends.
"We all know that only one of us can be on the field at one time," Hill said. "So, we're making all our reps count. At the end of the day, whoever comes out as the starter we're most definitely going to love each other and have each other's back."
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