Arkansas Razorbacks Name Starting QB For 2026 Season

Silverfield, Cramsey finally come to a decision at the quarterback position during fall camp

Arkansas Razorbacks offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey during fall practice. | Arkansas Football, X

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — First-year coach Ryan Silverfield spent all spring and summer evaluating and throwing everything possible at his quarterbacks to win the job, and one has taken the reins.

Redshirt sophomore KJ Jackson has been the favorite to land the job for most of the offseason, and the coaching staff finally made their decision public.

Last season, Jackson made six appearances in his career with two starts and has completed 63% of his passes, tallying 552 yards of offense and five total touchdowns. One area of concern that hasn't flared up on the field in limited duty were accuracy issues.

Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback KJ Jackson. | Ted McClenning-allHOGS Images

While those issues have been greatly documented throughout the offseason, it always seems when the lights are brightest for Jackson are moments he tends to be on target the most.

“We’ve talked to him about some of his misses, some of his easy completion-type deals,” quarterbacks coach Mitch Stewart said earlier this month. “And there's some fundamental things that go into that, some quarterback nerdy stuff of leveling your shoulders and driving through...all of that kind of stuff.

"But at the end of the day, man, some open throws that we've missed that we can't afford to miss.”

While his misses, at least on the practice field are costly, Jackson has always seemed to make the best decisions in camp when things go live. At the end of the day, it all comes down to which quarterback gives the Razorbacks its best chance to win in 2026, and the third-year passer does.

“That's been the story of my life since I've been here,” Jackson said. “I think last year my thing was having an idea pre-snap and getting through my reads quicker, so things don't surprise me a little bit. So, as we get more reps, I feel like it's just been better and better every single day.

Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback KJ Jackson on the field against the Texas A&M Aggies at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark. | Ted McClenning-allHOGS Images

“Just pre-snap reads, pre-snap looks, and then understanding to get off progressions faster and maybe see those guys before they get open, so I don't have to rush things and just use my form that’s how I've been throwing the ball since I was 15.

What can't be replicated is the fact Jackson has just a tad more experience under his belt when it comes to playing SEC competition. That only bodes well for his continued development as an efficient starter within the league.

The 6-foot-4, 225 pound passer from Montgomery, Ala. was a 4-star prospect and No. 10 among those at his position, according to Rivals.

While he could have gone anywhere else in the country during the transfer portal period this winter, Jackson decided to stick to his original path. He committed to the handful of teammates who arrived to Arkansas on campus at the same time.

That kind of loyalty in this era of college sports is becoming rare, but something that draws respect from teammates such as CJ Brown, Bradley Shaw, Kobe Branham, Wyatt Simmons, Braylen Russell, and Charlie Collins.

Having a group of highly touted players remaining with the program are the kind of leaders a coach like Silverfield needs moving forward.

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