FAYETTEVILLE — In one half, Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson put on display an improved touch on passes down the field Saturday in the Razorbacks’ spring game.
The frontrunner at the position entering the summer, Jefferson was locked in on his first four throws and guided his White team to a 17-3 lead after one quarter. He did not see the field in the second half, and the Red team ultimately finished the day with a 30-20 win to cap spring drills.
Star receivers Treylon Burks and Mike Woods were on the receiving end of Jefferson’s first four attempts, and three of the completions went for explosive plays. Woods brought in a 33-yard touchdown pass to get White on the board, then Burks had a 31-yard score toward the end of the first quarter.
“I’d have to go look back at every throw that he made, but I can tell you this: When I was standing out on the field, I was going, ‘It’d be hard not to like this kid at quarterback,’” Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman said. “He’s big, he’s strong, he’s commanding and he was on point.
“I don’t know every single throw that he made, but I know as a head coach I was sitting back there going, ‘I’m damn glad he’s our quarterback.’”
Jefferson, who Pittman previously said had improved his accuracy in the team’s final 4-5 practices, closed his spring by completing 6 of 11 passes for 153 yards and the two touchdowns. On throws traveling at least 16 yards downfield, he connected on 4 of 6 attempts for 142 yards.
Trey Knox, who flashed great potential as a freshmen then battled confidence issues in 2020, caught two passes on Saturday, one for 42 yards from Jefferson in which he had to battle cornerback Hudson Clark for position. He added a four-yard catch late in the first half as well.
Burks led all receivers on the White team with two catches for 67 yards and a touchdown, and Woods added 40 yards and a score on two receptions.
Pittman was pleased with the chemistry his top playmakers on the perimeter exhibited with Jefferson. Those are connections Jefferson is confident in heading into the fall.
“We’ve been working all spring on it,” Jefferson said. “Coach (Kendal) Briles is a huge believer in giving guys a chance on the outside and going up and making plays. We’ve got playmakers, so why not give them a chance?
“As far as me, I put my trust in those guys. They trust me to put the ball in good spots and they are going to make plays.”
Pittman added that Jefferson is maturing, has command of the team and his teammates believe in him. He also improved as a pocket passer this spring due to him being off limits for contact when he tucked the ball and ran.
Pittman is confident once Jefferson is free to run and take contact that he will be able to avoid direct hits and slip tacklers.
“I just think that when we’re able to run him he’s going to become a very, very, very good quarterback for us,” he added. “Right now, obviously, with tagging off, you’re not calling any type of quarterback runs because (officials are) not going to give them many yards.”
Arriving at Arkansas in the same class as Jefferson, safety Jalen Catalon is a believer in Jefferson, too, and echoed Pittman’s thoughts on his maturity level and deep-ball accuracy.
"Definitely (improved his) throwing, his mechanics, velocity – everything on his ball,” said Catalon, who finished with a team-high six tackles for the Red defense. “You can tell he's been focusing on it, for sure. He's come in and gotten a lot more mature as time went on. You saw him grow up fast. I think he realized the situation he was in. He was going to have to lead this offense.
“He's done a really outstanding job of that, and he definitely has the whole team on board. Hat's off to him for taking that role and filling in the shoes — he's filling Feleipe Franks' shoes — and he's done a really good job.
“Everybody feeds off of that."