Four-star quarterback KJ Jackson verbally committed to Arkansas on Sunday after making his second trip to Fayetteville on Tuesday.
His confidence in Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman and offensive coordinator Dan Enos, along with his admiration of the fan base, won him over.
“Coach Pitt, what he’s doing there is amazing,” Jackson said. “It’s truly something I want to be a part of. The fans are crazy about Arkansas football and Coach Enos has 13 quarterbacks in the NFL. So, with Coach developing quarterbacks like that, [it] wasn’t hard to pass up that opportunity.”
Jackson, 6-4, 217 pounds, of Montgomery (Ala.) St. James, picked the Razorbacks over scholarship offers from North Carolina, Penn State, Mississippi, Louisville, Missouri, Kentucky, West Virginia, Kansas and other programs.
He said he knew Tuesday he would be a Razorback.
“When I went down there and got to meet everybody in the building and there was not one negative thing that I took away after my visit,” Jackson said. “It was truly amazing, from the recruiting department to every single coach on staff to the players to how they were fired up about practice. It was perfect.”
Jackson, who took part in an Arkansas camp last summer, said he and Pittman agreed that winning is at the top of their agenda.
“Win football games and hopefully bring an SEC championship to Arkansas and a national championship,” Jackson said. “That’s my goal. I’m a winner and I’m a competitor and I’m just glad to be surrounded by a group of people that are also winners and competitors.”
Rivals rates Jackson a 4-star recruit and the No. 16 pro-style quarterback in the nation in the 2024 class.
Jackson, a left-hander, completed 132 of 205 passes for 2,813 yards and 42 touchdowns against 7 interceptions as a junior, leading the Trojans to the school's first state championship. He also rushed 77 times for 171 yards and 6 touchdowns.
He connected on 87 of 131 passes for 1,992 yards and 28 touchdowns against 3 interceptions a sophomore. He rushed 65 times for 139 yards and 7 touchdowns.
Jackson and his parents arrived in Fayetteville on Monday so they could drive around the city and campus.
“I really wanted to put football aside and just see if I could be a student at Arkansas,” Jackson said.
Jackson, who has a 3.8 grade point average, said his parents were on board with decision. Arkansas’ academic support impressed them.
“What clicked for my parents is the last three or four years they said they have a 100% graduation rate,” he said. “Since I was a child, they always told me that was the most important thing – the degree.”
He is the fifth commitment in the Razorbacks’ 2024 class. Arkansas’ class is ranked No. 17 nationally by On3.com.