The Arkansas quarterback job is still up for grabs, and the race may not be settled when August ends. Offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey and head coach Ryan Silverfield are expected to make their call after the month, but the battle between junior KJ Jackson and redshirt freshman AJ Hill could spill into September.
For now, the staff is leaning on one big message: stay steady. Jackson said Cramsey has been hammering that point home with the quarterbacks.
"We don't use the word hot. Coach Cramsey doesn't use the word hot," Jackson said.
"We're warm. We're always cool, calm and collected."
That mindset fits the way the competition has been framed. The job in Cramsey’s offense comes down to quick reads, fast decisions and getting the ball out on time. If the first option isn’t there, the edge may go to whichever quarterback can handle the pressure without losing control of the play.
Hill, who transferred with Silverfield after his freshman year at Memphis, has made clear he feels comfortable in the system while still working through the finer points. In April, he described the competition as a healthy one.
"It has been going good for me and KJ," Hill said in April. "At the end of the day, it is a quarterback battle.
But we love each other, and we love to compete with each other. Making each other better every day is going to have us ready for the season.
At the end of the day, it is just going to be based on who can make the throws and the correct reads at the right time."
He added later, "I am real comfortable with the offense," Hill said. "I am not going to say I am a master of it yet, but I got it down pretty good.
I am really just trying to hone in on the protection part of it, and I got the routes. We just have to get the timing right on a couple of more things, then I will be good."
Cramsey has seen Hill work through that learning curve in real time. The coach said Hill is focused on speeding up his processing, even if that sometimes leads to throws that look risky at first glance.
"He threw a ball across the middle yesterday on a Delta route to Ty Lockwood that I paused when he decided to throw the ball, and I said, 'He's not even close to being open!'" Cramsey said Aug.
- "And somehow he squeezed the ball in between people for a 25-yard gain.
"We talk to him about making quick decisions, and sometimes right now, when he's trying to make quick decisions, those aren't great decisions. So now he's got to be able to make that quick decision a great decision."
Jackson, meanwhile, has stressed how much work he has put into mastering the offense. On the August podcast, he said the preparation has been extensive.
"I put in a lot of hours learning this playbook," Jackson said. "And I know that the cup is only half full because fall camp is going to be a good time and a great time for all the quarterbacks in our development."
Jackson’s confidence also shows up in how he talks about his own game and his background. He explained why he wears No. 7, tying it to family and faith.
"My late sister she was born on the seventh," Jackson said. "777, we all know that's the godly number and it means perfection. Tarvaris Jackson was a big influence in my quarterback journey. It's kind of a Montgomery quarterback thing to rock that number seven."
If the two quarterbacks end up even in terms of understanding the system, Jackson’s mobility could become a major separator. His ability to escape pressure gives him another way to survive when the pocket breaks down, and that kind of trait can matter when a play turns messy.
There is also reason to think Jackson can seize control if he keeps building on what he showed against Texas and Missouri last year. As camp moves deeper into August, he has a chance to pull away if he convinces the staff that those performances were no accident.
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