Arkansas has settled its quarterback race, and Tennessee now has a clearer picture of the signal-caller it may face in Fayetteville this fall.
The Razorbacks announced Sunday night that junior KJ Jackson will start their opener against North Alabama on Saturday, Sept. 5.
At 6-foot-4, Jackson beat out sophomore transfer AJ Hill, who followed head coach Ryan Silverfield from Memphis to Arkansas during the offseason. Even with that built-in familiarity, Silverfield still went with Jackson.
That decision puts the spotlight squarely on a quarterback who has some experience, but also some major production to replace. Arkansas is moving on from Taylen Green, who carried the offense the last few seasons and was the biggest reason the Razorbacks could still threaten Tennessee in Knoxville last year even as the program slid during a mid-season coaching change.
If Jackson keeps the job, he’ll be the one leading Arkansas against Tennessee when the Vols visit Fayetteville on Saturday, Oct. 10. The game time has not been announced yet, though it will fall somewhere between 3:30 pm and 8 pm ET.
Tennessee won last year’s meeting, 34-31 in Knoxville, and snapped Arkansas’ five-game series win streak. The bigger road test for the Vols, though, is still ahead: Tennessee has not won in Fayetteville since 2001.
Jackson’s résumé is short, but it includes a couple of notable late-season outings. He played in five games last season and delivered one of his best performances in the Nov. 22 loss to Texas, when he came off the bench and completed 16 of 29 passes for 206 yards and a touchdown while also running for a score. He later started Arkansas’ regular-season finale against Missouri, throwing for 126 yards and a touchdown on 11-of-17 passing in a 31-17 loss.
For the season, Jackson finished with 441 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, 52 rushing yards, and two rushing touchdowns. He completed 61.1% of his passes.
Jackson wasn’t the only quarterback decision to come down over the weekend. Alabama named former five-star sophomore Keelon Russell its starter on Saturday. Florida, Vanderbilt, and Tennessee are still waiting to settle their own quarterback battles.
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