Making The Case For AJ Hill To Start For Arkansas Against Tulsa

FAYETTEVILLE — If you have two quarterbacks, you have none.

Arkansas has two QBs in KJ Jackson and AJ Hill but no true starter yet through three games, and the back-and-forth between the two against No. 2 Georgia didn't work.

Jackson led the Razorbacks to two garbage time touchdowns and did some nice things — including a two-minute drill that led to a field goal — in the first half, but also fumbled in the third quarter and couldn't do enough to consistently keep Arkansas on the field.

Hill wasn't necessarily spectacular, either, going 8-14 for 76 yards — but he's yet to turn the ball over this season and looked comfortable for the most part against the Bulldogs on Saturday. If not for a pair of very inopportune drops by Matt Adcock and Jamari Hawkins, those numbers would've looked better.

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

That begs the question: is it time for Arkansas to hand the reins to Hill, and only Hill, against Tulsa on Sept. 26?

Head coach Ryan Silverfield said postgame that he hadn't yet decided whether or not to play both QBs or just one against Tulsa. But a rotating, two-QB system won't win the Razorbacks many games, as any sense continuity and consistency for an embattled offense will be key.

It's time for Arkansas to either pick Jackson or Hill as the starting QB and stick with them. The question of which QB will be the guy must be answered before Arkansas travels to No. 23 Texas A&M on Oct 3. That gives Silverfield and offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey two weeks of practice and one more game — one that Arkansas should win by at least two scores — to figure things out.

AJ Hill to Chris Marshall for the big gain pic.twitter.com/20sGrrf3KF
— Grant Reacts (@GrantReacts1) September 19, 2026

Jackson did some good things on Saturday but hasn't shown that he has the chops to cut it in the SEC. Hill may not have those chops either, but giving him a full game's worth of work against Tulsa wouldn't hurt.

At some point, the so-called "QB carousel" for Silverfield and the Razorbacks has to stop spinning. Teams that consistently alternate quarterbacks rarely, if ever, win games, especially against the kind of competition Arkansas will be facing for the rest of the season.

Quarterback is far from Arkansas' only issue, but it is its biggest issue, and either Hill or Jackson winning the job outright and taking command of the offense is crucial.

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