Razorback QBs step up in scrimmage with Jackson, Hill finding end zone

The quarterbacks did their jobs Saturday.

That's the headline coming out of Reynolds Razorback Stadium, where Arkansas wrapped up their second major spring scrimmage of the 2026 offseason.

KJ Jackson and AJ Hill both delivered touchdown passes in a roughly 90-to-95-play closed workout that gave the coaching staff plenty to evaluate heading into the final two weeks of spring practice.

It wasn't a perfect day for the signal-callers — there were turnovers, and the defense made its presence felt — but the quarterbacks did enough to send the offense home feeling good about where things are headed.

Spring practice No. 9 is in the books for the Hogs, with three practices still scheduled across each of the next two weeks before the Red-White Game on April 25 closes out the spring session.

Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback KJ Jackson during spring practices. | Nilsen Roman-allHOGS Images

Jackson Connects with Marshall for Six

Jackson, the redshirt sophomore left-hander, capped a long drive with a 19-yard touchdown strike to Chris Marshall. It wasn't the only big moment between those two.

Jackson also connected with Marshall on completions of 30 and 32 yards, giving the fifth-year transfer from Boise State a productive afternoon in his early days in Fayetteville.

Junior receiver Ismael Cisse, who caught passes of 30 and 11 yards from Jackson himself, made clear he's already bought in on what Marshall brings to the group.

"Oh yeah, he's definitely going to be a big part of the program," Cisse said. "I had told him before the play actually 'Just be ready, he's coming to you on the touchdown.' So crazy it happened a couple of plays later."

Cisse didn't stop there when describing what he's seen from the 6-foot-3, 222-pound Marshall since he arrived on campus.

"(Marshall) came in with the right mentality and willing and ready to work," Cisse said. "We're just going in with that mindset and just knowing I'm going to be happy if I score or my guy scores, and yeah man, just making big plays is what we try in the room. So I'm ready to see what he does."

Jackson also threw a 12-yard completion to CJ Brown during the scrimmage, adding to a well-rounded day across a variety of situations that included third-and-short work, 2-point plays and 2-minute drills.

Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback AJ Hill during spring practice drills. | Nilsen Roman-allHOGS Images

Hill's Big Arm Shows Up in Two-Minute Drill

Hill, meanwhile, saved his touchdown moment for a two-minute drive scenario, delivering a sharp 16-yard scoring pass to sophomore Courtney Crutchfield.

But it was a 43-yard strike to tight end Maddox Lassiter that might have been the day's most impressive individual throw among all the quarterbacks.

The Memphis transfer also hooked up with fellow Memphis transfer Jamari Hawkins for 24 yards and found CJ Brown for 15 yards, giving him multiple chunk completions in what shaped up as a productive afternoon.

The scrimmage covered a range of situations designed to simulate game-speed moments that don't always show up in regular practice periods.

Hill's performance in those tighter, more pressurized situations is something the coaching staff will be watching closely as spring progresses.

Arkansas Razorbacks wide receiver CJ Brown in spring practice. | Munir El-Khatib-allHOGS Images

Fuller Makes His Case Too

It'd be easy to overlook Braeden Fuller in a conversation dominated by the top two quarterbacks, but the senior transfer from Angelo State put together a few notable plays of his own Saturday.

Fuller connected with Blair Irvin from Bentonville on a 12-yard completion, then went deep to running back Jasper Parker for 24 yards and hit Antonio Jordan from Warren on a 28-yard strike.

All three quarterbacks in the mix completed passes of 10-plus yards, per UA Communications, which is a positive sign for the depth of the position group as a whole.

Defense Wasn't Invisible

The signal-callers weren't operating in a vacuum. The Arkansas defense made its share of plays too.

Transfer defensive back DJ Hairston returned an interception for a touchdown, though the Hogs didn't disclose which quarterback he picked off.

Memphis transfer safety Ian Williams also recorded an interception, again with the offending quarterback unidentified. Defensive tackle Carlon Jones recorded the scrimmage's lone sack while end Caleb Bell led all defenders with two tackles for loss.

Linebacker Bradley Shaw. who's wearing the helmet communications device for the defense this spring, logged a tackle alongside Trajen Odom, Danny Beale and Steven Soles.

Shaw's message after the scrimmage was straightforward when it came to what he thought his unit took away from the afternoon.

"We always want to come out and get better," Shaw said. "We're an eager team that always wants to get better, and we want to compete to the highest level that we can, whether it be special teams, offense, defense, two-minute, short-yardage, or simply playing games. We take the same approach to every scrimmage and everything that we do."

Arkansas Razorbacks running back Cam Settles at spring practice. | Munir El-Khatib-allHOGS Images

Run Game and Kickers Round Out the Day

The passing game got most of the attention, but the ground game contributed too. Cam Settles had a 12-yard run to go along with a 2-yard scoring rush.

Jasper Parker added a 23-yard carry and Sutton Smith chipped in with a 12-yard run as the Razorbacks mixed in the run game throughout the workout.

On special teams, junior Max Gilbert, a transfer from Tennessee who missed the first scrimmage with an illness, returned and had his best day among the kickers.

He connected on all three of his attempts from 32, 42 and 53 yards. Senior transfer Braeden McAlister from Georgia State went 2-for-4, making kicks from 30 and 34 yards but missing from 46 and 53.

Redshirt sophomore Charlie Von Der Meden went 2-for-3, connecting from 46 and 52 yards while missing from 42. The group combined to go 7-for-10 on the day.

Building relentlessness with every rep 💪 pic.twitter.com/OYLnkrRSsb
— Arkansas Razorback Football (@RazorbackFB) April 10, 2026

What's Next for Arkansas

The Hogs won't hold a major scrimmage on April 18, but they will tackle in the spring finale at the Red-White Game on April 25.

Three practices each of the next two weeks — on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays — will complete the 15-practice spring schedule.

The motivation coming out of Saturday's workout was plain for receiver Cisse, who made clear the offense used last week's struggles as fuel.

"Last week, the defense, they had a good day," Cisse said. "They got us. And so we didn't want to go out two weekends 0-2, you know what I mean?

"So we just had a different mentality to make sure we score by all means and we did that today. So shoutout to the offense, we did a good job with that."