FAYETTEVILLE — On first thought, Missouri football coach Eli Drinkwitz is more than fine with waiting for the final week of the regular season in late November to face KJ Jefferson.
Until Arkansas takes the field against Rice on Saturday, Drinkwitz remains the last coach to get an up-close-and-personal look at the Razorbacks’ 6-3, 245-pound dual-threat quarterback in a starting role. He recalls a player in the teams’ Dec. 5 meeting in Columbia, Mo., which Missouri won 50-48, who displayed great poise in the pocket and delivered a number of on-the-money throws.
He, too, kept the Tigers’ defense off balance and generated offense with his legs. Though luck was not on his side, Jefferson put himself in prime position to earn a win in his second career start and first in more than a year.
He finished with more than 300 yards of offense and four total touchdowns. On pass attempts 11-plus yards downfield, Jefferson hit 6 of 11 for 172 yards and two scores.
“I think it took him maybe a drive or two to get settled in, and then after that him and (receiver Treylon) Burks had a great connection,” Drinkwitz said Wednesday. “I think he’s a tremendous quarterback with a bright future.
“Well, I guess I’m glad (we don’t play him soon). By then, though, who knows how good he’ll be.”
The time Jefferson has worked toward for more than two years with the Razorbacks is finally upon him. He is Arkansas’ full-time starting quarterback, and there are no ifs, ands or buts about it for Sam Pittman, the program’s second-year coach.
In 2019, Jefferson’s freshman season, he appeared in three games and started one. He showed flashes in limited time, but was largely swallowed up by the team’s musical chairs operation at quarterback, which saw five players take the first snap in the span of five games.
That year, Jefferson, a superior talent and athlete, attempted only one more pass than Jack Lindsey and five more than John Stephen Jones. He did not see the field until Arkansas’ ninth game of the season.
In a more stable environment last season, Jefferson spent much of the 10-game schedule soaking up all he could about the position as the understudy to veteran Feleipe Franks. When his time came to start in Franks’ place, he was confident and prepared, and he dazzled.
“I think the greatest thing that happened to him was he started and played a game last year,” Pittman said this week. “And not only for himself but for the team, you know? I think the team really, really believes in him. I know I do, and he has a lot of confidence and has been playing really well this week.
“Certainly everybody around him has confidence that he’s going to be a really good quarterback for us. That includes me.”
So why, in addition to his lone start a year ago, does Jefferson have the belief and respect of Arkansas’ coaches and his teammates? One key reason is he is said to be a healthy mix of fun and focus. His personality beams and sense of humor comes to the forefront behind the scenes, players say.
On at least one social media account, Jefferson often uploads photos and videos of his dog, a Pit bull, and lighthearted moments with teammates in the locker room and team facilities. Freshman tight end Erin Outley has become a dancing regular in Jefferson’s posts.
“He’s funny and always joking and playing around,” left tackle Myron Cunningham said Tuesday. “When we get on that field, it’s all business. I think that’s kind of why people are so behind him on this team, because when it’s business time, he handles his business like a professional.
“When it’s not, we can cut it up with him and joke around and have a good time.”
Pittman said Wednesday that he is perhaps similar to Jefferson in that way. He is fond of his quarterback’s budding leadership skills and is a firm believer that they will evolve as the season unfolds.
Being a leader can be a challenge when you have never been charged with being the face of a unit or team before, Pittman added. No one, however, according to linebacker Grant Morgan, questions Jefferson’s leadership role.
The quarterback’s skillset and maturity set him apart. It helped him become a team captain. And he has, by all accounts, grabbed firm hold of the starting job and run with it without looking back.
“At the beginning (of the preseason) I was trying to get on him to try to call it up more often,” Morgan said. “We're all up joking around and stuff. Joe (Foucha) and (Jefferson) are always talking to me, like, ‘Man, we want to talk at the end of the practice. We don’t even talk.’
“KJ deserves it,” Morgan added on Jefferson being a captain, "and it just shows you that our team believes in him. KJ has really stepped up, and it's really fun to watch. I'm excited to see how he does this year.”