KJ Jackson is the most likely name to walk out first when Arkansas opens the 2026 season against North Alabama on Sept. 5, and the tape from his 2025 run gives a pretty clear picture of what the Razorbacks are getting.
The redshirt sophomore from Montgomery, Ala., came out of last season with 441 passing yards, three touchdowns and a 61 percent completion rate after starting against Missouri. That stat line only tells part of the story. The film shows a quarterback who can take a hit, stay composed and still deliver the ball.
That matters because SEC defensive coordinators are likely to come after him. If Arkansas’ offensive line has a tough matchup, Jackson could see plenty of blitzes. The encouraging part for the Hogs is that he already showed he can handle heat.
His first career touchdown pass came against Alabama A&M, when he absorbed contact from two defensive backs on a corner blitz and still got the ball to Mike Washington for a 52-7 Arkansas lead. Against Missouri, he tied the game at 7-7 by firing a frozen rope to O’Mega Blake in the end zone while taking a shot in the mid-section. Later in that game, he hit Raylen Sharpe in the third quarter while getting hit and still managed to stay upright after releasing the throw.
Jackson will want cleaner pockets, of course, but the evidence says he can still make accurate throws when things get messy. That gives Arkansas a useful trait in a first-year starter.
He’s not the same runner as Taylen Green or Matt Jones, but he can move. And when he does, he’s not easy to put on the ground.
Texas found that out last November. After Arkansas moved the ball against the Longhorns in Austin, Jackson dropped back on second and 10, escaped pressure, and then ran into the end zone after shaking off Zina Umeozulu twice.
He won’t bulldoze defenders like KJ Jefferson, but Jackson should still have some designed runs built in, and he’ll always be a scramble threat if a lane opens up.
There’s another part of his game that should fit what Ryan Silverfield and offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey want from this offense: he has yet to throw an interception in college. That comes over 54 passing attempts and two games against SEC opponents, which is a meaningful sample.
It doesn’t mean the turnovers will never come, and there figures to be some growing pains for a first-time starter. But Jackson has already shown he can throw into tight spaces without giving the ball away.
That matters for a Razorbacks staff that has stressed avoiding giveaways, and it makes Jackson look like a strong fit for the role.
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For Arkansas fans, the concern is familiar: a coaching change is supposed to signal direction, but repeated turnover has made stability feel elusive. Since 2017, Yurachek has overseen five head coaching changes, and that kind of churn has left the Razorbacks answering the same basic questions again and again about whether the next move will finally settle things down. Silverfield brings a new rsum and a new tone, but the broader fear around the program is whether this hire can escape the cycle that has defined the last several years. [Read more 🡒]