KJ Jackson Getting More Comfortable Leading Arkansas' Offense

FAYETTEVILLE — KJ Jackson struggled in his first two games as Arkansas' starting quarterback, but he made strides against both Georgia and Tulsa.

The latter game saw Jackson throw for 309 yards and a touchdown while running for two more scores in the Hogs' 34-6 victory over the Golden Hurricane. While he did throw another interception in the third quarter, it was largely a positive performance for the redshirt sophomore, who offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey said Tuesday is getting more comfortable.

"When KJ is back in the pocket, he's getting more and more comfortable every snap, every rep he takes," Cramsey said. "So when he's back in the pocket, and he's not pressured and he has time to go through his reads. .. you saw a couple times on Saturday he made it through his fifth read, which is a huge step for a quarterback playing the game.

"So if we can give him the time to do that, he's been very accurate the last couple of weeks. He's been a lot more comfortable as to where he's going with the ball, where he wants to go with the ball, knowing where his next read is. No, he's not perfect, but overall, he's been that."

Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback KJ Jackson attempts pass against Georgia Bulldogs at Razorback Stadium on Sept. 19, 2026. | Nilsen Roman, Hogs on SI Images

Jackson has also made better decisions in his last two starts, though there were still a few plays Cramsey wishes he could have back. At the top of that list is the crucial sack Jackson took just before halftime that led to Arkansas kicking a field goal rather than punching it into the end zone on its final possession of the first half.

"The one on the goal line in 2-minute drive is inexcusable," Cramsey said. "That’s a situation where you’re warm. That’s a situation where they made a mistake and put 1-on-1 against Chris Marshall. There’s no reason we’re not going to Chris right now with that ball.

He bounced back and saved us time to go get the field goal, but that stuff can’t happen. At the quarterback position, it can’t be a 90% thing, it’s got to be a 100% on that type of stuff. But there’s signs of it, that he knows where he’s warm, he knows where the pressure’s coming from, he knows where he needs to get with the ball."

Jackson was also effective in the run game against Tulsa, posting Arkansas' longest carry of the season on a 20-yard scramble late in the first half. He also scored the Razorbacks' first touchdown of the night on a 10-yard option play.

"He's a 220-pound kid who can put some pressure on defenses," Jackson said. "A running quarterback takes away, or at least forces defenses to think about playing man coverage. So yes, that's part of the plan to help the run game out is getting the quarterback involved. You get the quarterback involved in designed QB run.

"You're adding [an] extra gap to the defense, number one. And then if you're pulling off that backside edge, you're slowing down that backside linebacker. You're slowing down that backside C-gap. You're slowing down that backside safety, who's fitting in there, and that gives us a little bit more seams. A little bit more time for the O-line to hang on their double teams and work themselves up."

Jackson will make his first road start in the SEC on Saturday when Arkansas travels to Texas A&M. Jackson's first road start came against Utah on Sept. 12, while his lone experience playing on the road in the SEC came against Texas last year.

Kickoff between Arkansas and Texas A&M is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT on Saturday, with coverage on ESPN2 and the Razorback Sports Network.

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