FAYETTEVILLE - The Arkansas quarterback race may not be as settled as it looked when KJ Jackson announced he was coming back for the 2026 season.
Jackson still looks like the favorite, and the long-term bet remains on him. But with two weeks left before Arkansas opens the season Sept. 5 against North Alabama, AJ Hill has given the Razorbacks enough to keep this thing alive.
That was not the assumption at first. Jackson’s return felt like the moment the job tilted firmly in his direction, and that belief only held when former Memphis quarterback AJ Hill said he would be following Ryan Silverfield and Tim Cramsey to Arkansas.
Even now, Jackson still projects as the better quarterback over time. He has the higher ceiling, and he showed enough against Texas and Missouri last year to back that up.
Still, Arkansas’ staff has described the battle as neck-and-neck, and what has been seen during the portions of practice open to the media suggests this is closer than many expected. Jackson missed on several throws during the viewing window, which only sharpened the sense that Hill is not fading away.
In the first scrimmage, Hill led two touchdown drives while Jackson led three. And there are two more scrimmages left for Hill to keep stacking live reps before the opener.
If Hill keeps pressing Jackson in those scrimmages and over the final two weeks of practice, there’s a path for Arkansas to split reps in the North Alabama game if it turns into the blowout it should be. That would still come with a lot of ifs, but it’s enough to say the door is open.
Jackson remains the most likely choice to start, and he still has a chance to do something really good at Arkansas, especially if he stays through 2027 or even 2028. But if his inconsistency continues, Hill has a real shot to keep this race tight enough that Silverfield and Cramsey don’t have to make a final call until after Week 1.
So while Jackson still appears to be in front, Hill has a chance to make this go all the way down to the wire. Don’t bury the idea of an AJ Hill-led Arkansas offense just yet.
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Arkansas Backfield Buzz Builds Around One Razorbacks Question
Arkansas is shaping up to have a backfield with a little bit of everything when the season arrives, and the early buzz centers on the pairing of fifth-year Sutton Smith and junior Braylen Russell. Smith brings the kind of east-west burst that can stress a defense laterally, while Russell offers a tougher, more direct style as an elusive bruiser who can push the pile and keep drives moving.
Behind that duo, the Razorbacks have also built in some insurance with Cam Settles, Markeylin Batton and Jasper Parker all in the mix for depth. The larger question now is how the rotation settles once the games start, especially with Smith and Russell both bringing notable college experience and recent practice updates that suggest Arkansas may have more than one dependable answer out of the backfield. [Read more 🡒]
Arkansas Is Betting Everything On Ryan Silverfields Culture Push
Ryan Silverfield has wasted little time trying to reshape Arkansas football in his image, leaning on the transfer portal to remake the roster while making preparation, effort and mental toughness the daily standard in practice. The approach has been as much about changing habits as changing personnel, with the Razorbacks new coach pushing to make the program competitive again as quickly as possible.
Silverfield also knows there is only so much confidence a practice field can provide when the games begin, and he has been candid about the uncertainty around how Arkansas stacks up talent-wise against its opponents. For now, the bet is on culture, on getting the team ready to play hard and play together, and on trusting that a sharper standard behind the scenes will eventually show up where it matters most. [Read more 🡒]
Arkansas QB Battle May Be Decided By One Pressure Test
Arkansas has spent enough time talking about its quarterback competition, but Sam Pittman made clear the next step is less about arm talent and more about how each candidate handles the heat. The Razorbacks coach said the staff has put a premium on two-minute offense work in practice, using those late-game situations to sharpen communication, tempo and the kind of situational football that tends to decide close games.
Pittmans point was simple: if a quarterback can command the offense when everything speeds up, that carries real weight in the battle. Repetition, he said, is what gets a team ready for the moment when the clock is tight and every snap matters, which makes these pressure reps one of the most important parts of Arkansas preseason evaluation. [Read more 🡒]