HawgBeat - 2023 Arkansas Football Position Preview: Quarterback
HawgBeat's position preview series begins with the quarterbacks, including a projected depth chart.
arkansas.rivals.com
If there is one position on the Arkansas football team that can have the starter written in with a sharpie during the month of July, it's quarterback. Redshirt senior KJ Jefferson is entering his third season as the starting quarterback for the Hogs and he's primed to be one of the SEC's best in 2023.
Jefferson has already picked up Preseason All-SEC honors from Athlon Sports and Phil Steele, and more should roll in throughout the next few weeks. The 6-foot-3, 246-pound signal caller threw for a 2,648 yards and a career-high 24 touchdowns in 2022 despite missing two games due to injury.
In those two games that Jefferson missed, it was clear that the Razorbacks needed to add a backup quarterback who could step in and win games as both were losses at Mississippi State and against LSU at home. Backups Cade Fortin and Malik Hornsby — who transferred to Texas State — were unable to lead the Hogs to victory in the absence of Jefferson.
Arkansas Quarterbacks
Returning players: KJ Jefferson (redshirt senior), Cade Fortin (super senior), Rykar Acebo (redshirt freshman - walk-on)
Additions: Jacolby Criswell (redshirt junior - North Carolina transfer), Malachi Singleton (freshman - 2023 signee)
The Starter
With new offensive coordinator Dan Enos bringing a pro-style offense back to Fayetteville, Jefferson could be in for a career-best year. That's saying a lot, as the native of Sardis, Mississippi, has already put together two of the most impressive seasons at the position in program history.
The owner of the second and third best single season completion percentage marks in Arkansas history, Jefferson has the chance to really grow as a passer in 2023. His deep ball is good as any in the country, but being more accurate on mid-range and short passes could really take his game to the next level.
In his two full seasons as the starting quarterback, Jefferson has completed at least 67% of his passes. He has just 10 career interceptions compared to 48 passing touchdowns and that's because he's proven to be an above-average decision maker who rarely puts the ball in danger.
Jefferson is going to produce in the running game as he's rushed for at least 600 yards in back-to-back seasons and he has 15 rushing touchdowns in that span. It should be interesting to see if Enos elects to continue to turn Jefferson loose as a runner or if he dials it back and has Jefferson as more of a pocket passer.
The Rest
Head coach Sam Pittman recognized that glaring issue and he addressed it by adding North Carolina transfer Jacolby Criswell, who is a former four-star prospect out of Morrilton.
During those three seasons with the Tar Heels, Criswell was just 18 of 31 passing for 204 yards and one touchdown, and he added 133 yards and one score on the ground. He appeared in 14 games and started one for the Tar Heels, but he was sitting behind guys like Sam Howell, who is now a quarterback for the Washington Commanders, and Drake Maye, who is a popular contender for the Heisman Trophy award entering the 2023 season.
"I think this, you look at a kid coming in, and Jacolby hadn't played a whole lot of ball over at North Carolina," Pittman said after the Red-White scrimmage in April. "To be where he is and what he's done, I mean, he's thrown some stuff in practice that was like crazy good.
"I think he's just going to get better and better, so yes, I think part of the question would be can we beat an SEC team with him at quarterback, and the answer would be absolutely, in my opinion. So he was very, very valuable to us to bring in."
Arkansas also brings back Fortin for his super senior season in Fayetteville. A transfer from South Florida prior to the 2022 season, Fortin threw for 135 yards and one touchdown on 14 of 29 passing as a redshirt senior last season.
Originally added as a walk-on, Fortin was awarded a scholarship in the spring. He will provide Criswell with stiff competition for the No. 2 spot behind Jefferson.
True freshman Malachi Singleton has a bright future as a four-star recruit out of North Cobb High School in Kennesaw, Georgia. The 6-foot-1, 232-pound passer displayed a tight spiral and quality accuracy during spring practice and he is also a legit threat as a runner.
As a senior in high school, Singleton saw his season cut short early on due to a foot injury. Singleton completed 166 of 221 passes (75.1%) for 2,316 yards and 24 touchdowns with just three interceptions and he added 1,018 rushing yards with 25 scores on the ground as a junior for North Cobb.
Redshirt freshman walk-on Rykar Acebo out of Jonesboro rounds out the quarterback room. Acebo threw for 3,058 yards on 209 of 311 passing with 39 touchdowns as a senior for Jonesboro High School in 2021.
Things To Watch
Will Jefferson stay healthy?
Jefferson has played one full season without missing a game as the starting quarterback for Arkansas. That was the 2021 season, when the Razorbacks went 9-4 with an Outback Bowl win over Penn State.
The two games that Jefferson missed in 2022 — Mississippi State and LSU — both resulted in losses. Jefferson was also noticeably less than 100% during the home loss to Liberty.
There is no way of predicting whether or not those games would've resulted in a different outcome had Jefferson been at full health, but it was clear that the Razorbacks were a different offense and overall team without him being healthy.
The impact not having a healthy Jefferson had on the team can be easily seen by Pittman prioritizing the addition of Criswell in the portal.
Can Jefferson develop as a pro-ready prospect under Enos?
There is no denying the size and raw talent that Jefferson has as a quarterback. He is a true dual-threat passer who has proven that he is a great decision maker.
Enos has a strong resume of NFL quarterbacks and Jefferson is arguably the second best he's coached behind former Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovialoa. The 2024 NFL Draft is going to have a loaded quarterback class, but Jefferson could work his way up into a top-three round projection with a solid season.
Who wins the backup job?
There wasn't a ton of separation between Criswell and Fortin during the spring. Fortin's advantage of being in the system for a year went out the window when Kendal Briles moved on to be the offensive coordinator at TCU.
It felt like Criswell was pulling away towards the end of the spring and I think that will end up being the case in fall camp. He has a higher ceiling than Fortin, better skills as a passer and he can also make more happen with his legs.
Who is the future?
Jefferson is back for his third year as the starter, but the Hogs will be looking for a new quarterback to lead the team next year. The transfer portal is always an option nowadays, but Criswell and Singleton are two intriguing options to keep an eye on for next year's squad.
Projected Depth Chart
Projected Depth Chart - Quarterback
| Beginning of Fall Camp | Week 1 |
|---|---|
| KJ Jefferson | KJ Jefferson |
| Cade Fortin | Jacolby Criswell |
| Jacolby Criswell | Cade Fortin |
| Malachi Singleton | Malachi Singleton |
