FAYETTEVILLE — Aside from running back Raheim "Rocket" Sanders, perhaps no freshman on Arkansas' offensive side of the ball has higher expectations than receiver Ketron Jackson.
A consensus 4-star prospect out of Royse City, Texas, and the top-rated player in the Razorbacks’ 2021 recruiting class, Jackson has lived up to the hype through the first half of preseason practices and has likely worked himself into the heart of Arkansas’ receivers rotation.
“Ketron’s been really, really good,” Arkansas offensive coordinator Kendal Briles said Friday. “If you look at the spring to right now, offensively, he’s without a doubt the most improved football player on the offense.”
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Jackson had a drop in Friday’s workout, but Briles said he made up for it with a “phenomenal” catch. He is high on the freshman’s skillset and athletic ability, mentioning that Jackson led all Dallas-area athletes with a long jump of 24 feet, 11 inches in high school.
An early enrollee, Jackson benefited from going through spring drills, when he was able to get a head start on learning the offense and grow more comfortable operating on a previously injured knee.
“He was nagged when he got here with an injury. Now he’s healthy and he’s the Ketron we thought he was going to be,” Briles said. “He’s just got to continue to grow and progress, and you’ll see him on Saturdays.”
In portions of practice open to the media this preseason, Jackson has primarily slotted in with the first- or second-team offense during the team’s Fastball Start, which pits the first-, second- and third-team offense against the defense four plays at a time.
Including Friday, he ran with the first unit two of the last four days.
Quarterback KJ Jefferson, entering his first season as the Razorbacks’ full-time starter, likes the explosiveness that Jackson has showcased in training camp and believes he can be a threat in the vertical passing game.
The biggest improvements Jefferson has noticed in Jackson are his ability to get off man pressure at the line of scrimmage and to find the soft spots in zone coverage.
“I feel like he can help us on down-the-field plays,” Jefferson said. “He’s a big body on the little corners and getting open down the field. (He knows) when to throttle.
“I feel like his skillset has improved a lot.”
Jackson, who wore a brace on his left knee throughout the spring, is moving better and gaining the confidence in the knee that is needed to be an effective route runner and make the necessary cuts.
“Coming out with that knee brace on his leg, I felt like he was kind of hesitant and trying to get a feel for college and the speed of the game and how it works,” Jefferson said. “Now that he’s got that brace off, I feel like he’s headed for a lot of big things for us.”