What Silverfield Believes Was Ultimate Separator Between Jackson, Hill

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — There goes that word again, intentional.

It's become an appropriate way to describe just about everything Ryan Silverfield has done since taking over Arkansas, including perhaps his biggest decision yet. Not only that, but he cares about each individual player much like he promotes carmaderie amongst them.

Arkansas can only be as good if everyone is on the same page, and that goes a long for the coaches, who chose KJ Jackson as their starting quarterback for the 2026 season. While it appeared there was some separation throughout the spring, there were some things redshirt freshman AJ Hill was doing to narrow the gap ahead of fall camp.

While the battle was ultimately won by Jackson on Sunday around noon, the question is still going to be asked about what went into the decision of the Montgomery, Alabama native earning the starting job.

"We didn't go with him because he had cooler shoes, no, we went with the dude that we thought — they were both capable — but we went with a guy in KJ who we thought gave us the best opportunity to win week in and week out," Silverfield told 103.7 The Buzz at the Little Rock Touchdown Club on Monday.

"They're both fantastic. KJ's leadership was there, his accuracy, his understanding of our playbook, his determination to do those things. I think when the jersey comes off, right now he's protected. We have not taken him live. I think he adds a different dynamic to [our offense]."

Jackson's ability to improvise in the pocket this fall is going to be key when it comes to having a productive offense. He has flashed that ability in limited opportunities last year, but don't expect him to be putting his health in jeopardy by running much.

While the 6-foot-4, 225 pound dual-threat passer has that ability to be a bruiser in the run game, Silverfield still needs him to stay upright and limit the amount of contact he'll see each week.

"We're not going to run our quarterbacks all the time," Silverfield continued. "Certainly not as much as Taylen [Green] did last year. If the pocket breaks down and there's something involved in that, we will."

Arkansas coach Ryan Silverfield during Red-White Game. | Ted McClenning-allHOGS Images

Ultimate Separator

One of the biggest parts of a game that Silverfield requires of his quarterbacks is being able to operate a two and four minute offense. Situational football is at the forefront of this coaching regime.

Whether that's taking care of the football by limiting turnovers, trimming back on procedural penalties or having an overall awareness of what is going on between the sidelines will go a long way in establishing Silverfield's culture. For Jackson to be chosen as the starter for the upcoming season, it is a testament to his ability to take care of the football, which will be the expectation moving forward.

To this point, Silverfield has been relentless in making sure the finer details are understood ahead of Week One against North Alabama. While they might be playing an FCS opponent, being situationally aware of everything will go a long way in surpassing national preseason expectations.

"What you got to see is... I talk about this all the time, probably more so than they did in the past is situational football," Silverfield said. "So many of the games are won the two minute before halftime, right? The two minutes, four minutes before the end of the game, right?

"Putting us in the right thing. Hey, third down. What's the blitz check need to look like? At first-and-10, right? Hey, is this the right run check? Do we need to move over here? And that understanding, ultimately, is what separated [Jackson]. And I couldn't be more thrilled that he's our quarterback."

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