Silverfield Outlines What AJ Hill Must Do To Win Hogs' QB Job

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — When spring practice closed, it appeared KJ Jackson was the clear winner in the clubhouse for his performance in the Red-White game and extended game experience.

However the battle continued throughout fall camp as Hill improved throughout summer work and organized team activities that the new coach Ryan Silverfield believes the battle is "neck-and-neck" going into the start of fall camp Wednesday.

He also outlined what Hill will need to do in order to win the job outright ahead of the 2026 season.

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

"AJ [Hill's] had a very very good offseason," Silverfield said Monday. "He's shown he has an understanding of this offense. Obviously, he had a leg up being in this offense a year prior, but you know his decision making has improved every single day. And I think the biggest thing, like we've talked to him about, is the timing.

"Hey, 1,001, 1,002, get rid of the ball, and that doesn't mean it's a short route. Sometimes you can still throw vertical passing concepts. That and then also pre-snap, right? 'Hey, no, I gotta get the tight end over here, and this is what we gotta get to continue to grow within that.'

As a freshman, Hill completed 19-of-32 passes for 223 yards with a touchdown and one interception. In his first bit of live action in the spring game, he showed flashes by completing 9-of-17 passes for 95 yards and one interception but did add a score on the ground.

A former 4-star prospect and No. 10 overall quarterback prospect in the 2025 class could've gone anywhere else out of the transfer portal, but chose to remain loyal to a coaching staff that believed him most.

Hill's physical talent has never been questioned and combined with his knowledge of the offense, it's obvious why he has made up such ground during the offseason. During his prolific four-year varsity career at Houston County High School in Georgia, he completed 800-of-1239 passes for 11,020 yards with 129 touchdowns and only 20 interceptions.

Now, what Silverfield wants to see out of his 6-foot-4, 232 pound quarterback is capitalize on his promise as a prospect and deliver passes not just accurately, but on time during fall camp.

"The number one thing [for a quarterback] is accuracy," Silverfield said. Truly, can they make great decisions with football, you know. Sometimes you find really accurate quarterbacks, but then they don't get rid of the ball in time. We're not going to be able to sit back there for eight seconds and hang out with the football and take our time. This is not high school seven-on-seven.

"Can they get the ball rid of the ball in timely fashion? Are they accurate with that and really truly making great decisions. We want an efficient quarterback who can lead our offense. Taking care of the football, putting us in the right situation. That may be putting us into a run play or changing the protection to better suit us. And that's what you got to see is that continuation. The guys are doing a great job with it."

In Tim Cramsey's offense, quarterbacks are expected to deliver the football quickly by processing reads and allowing pass catchers time to work in space.

Most passers at the college level will have less than three seconds to diagnose coverages, which means Hill and Jackson both better be ready to trust and release in rhythm.

Cramsey's offense is quite similar to Chip Kelly's offense based on core philosophies of speed, attacking space, being multiple in personnel movement, and having multiple route options to distribute to.

"I always say this: it's one thing to know the offense, you know, it's another thing to have a full understanding the offense," Silverfield said. "But then can you master all different defensive schemes? And then when you do that, oh yeah, by the way, the ball's gotta go in the exact spots.

"It's one thing to sit there and say, 'Hey, I'm really smart. I know what I need to do, but now can I go out there and actually execute?' He's showing that every single day," Silverfield said. "So, I've been very, very pleased with his growth. I'm telling you guys right now, it's a neck-and-neck battle, and that's a very good thing for us."

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