While Arkansas camp has mostly been framed around the quarterback battle between junior KJ Jackson and sophomore AJ Hill, freshman Hank Hendrix has quietly become one of the more intriguing storylines in Fayetteville.
Hendrix arrived as a 17-year-old early enrollee, and he’s doing it a year ahead of schedule. The 6-3, 190-pound quarterback committed to Arkansas in January as a four-star prospect and the No. 9-ranked quarterback in the state of Arkansas in the Class of 2027, then reclassified and joined the Razorbacks early instead of beginning his senior season at Fayetteville High School.
He’s not in the mix to win the starting job right now, but that hasn’t kept him from standing out in fall camp.
“You can tell he's a coach's kid,” Arkansas quarterback's coach Mitch Stewart said on Friday. “He does not get rattled. We've done some things where we've pulled him off of one field and put him up there and thrown him in some situations, trying to see if he would wet his britches a little bit, and he did not.
“You could tell he's very confident, very smart, very cerebral. He has a very quick, twitchy release, powerful arm, for a guy who's 187 pounds, 188 pounds, he can produce a lot of power out of that body and his arm, and makes really good decisions.
So, he's a fun one. He's really fun, and he ain't scared of nothing.
“He gets in that huddle, he yells at people, he gets them going, he ain't scared of nothing.”
The production backed up the buzz at the high school level. Last season, Hendrix threw for 3,602 yards, 32 touchdowns and six interceptions while completing 63.1% of his passes, and he also added six rushing touchdowns. Over his high school career, he passed for 9,425 yards and completed 67.4% of his throws.
Arkansas offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey said Hendrix has the kind of tools that jump out immediately.
“Hank has an unbelievable skill set, unbelievable arm talent,” Cramsey said. “Coach's kid, so he knows the game inside and out.
You can talk to him like a 10-year coaching vet, albeit he might've just turned 17, but he's 17 years old. You've got to keep remembering that because in real life, he really should be preparing for his final year of high school.
“The thing I've been most impressed about Hank is he's just so cool, so poised. Almost to the point where he's like bored out there, which is a positive thing. But you're telling me, you're putting a kid who should be going into a senior high school, putting him out there on an SEC practice field, and really not a big deal to him.
“That's been, to me, the most impressive thing with him. So, I think the future is overly bright for him, and down the road I expect his name to be entered into some competition and putting some pressure on people.”
In Other News...
Hunter Yurachek Just Reignited A Frustration Arkansas Fans Know Too Well
Hunter Yurachek has spent most of his Arkansas tenure with plenty to point to beyond football. Since taking over as athletic director in 2017, the Razorbacks athletic department has been financially steady and successful across several sports, with SEC and national titles helping give the school a broader profile than any single program could. It has been a run that would look strong in a lot of places, and in some ways it has at Arkansas too.
But football remains the sport that shapes the mood around the department, and that is where the frustration keeps resurfacing. The Razorbacks have struggled badly in that program during Yuracheks watch, and criticism has followed him through controversy and tough public moments, including a recent incident involving the Little Rock Touchdown Club. For a fan base that measures its athletic director by what happens on Saturdays in the fall, that familiar disconnect has once again been pushed to the forefront. [Read more 🡒]
Arkansas Quarterback Battle Just Got More Concerning After Saturday
The quarterback battle in Fayetteville is still very much up in the air, and Saturdays practice did little to calm any nerves about Arkansas options. KJ Jackson and AJ Hill are both competing for the starting job, and while coach Mitch Stewart has made clear the spot will be earned, the two passers had a shaky session that included several errant throws as they worked under close scrutiny.
Jacksons issues were especially noticeable on routine throws, while Hill also failed to create any real separation in the eyes of those watching. Stewarts message has stayed consistent throughout camp, but with the opener drawing closer and the starter still unannounced, Arkansas is left waiting for one of its quarterbacks to make a cleaner, more convincing case. [Read more 🡒]