Getting KJ Jefferson's Decision Also Deciding Urgency

Every year is a rebuilding time for coaches in transfer portal, starting with quarterback

Author:
Andy Hodges
Updated:
Dec 9, 2023 9:11 AM EST
Original:
Dec 8, 2023

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — It's nearly impossible these days to have a phone conversation or talk to friends without the question. "What's KJ going to do?"

Everyone seems invested in whether quarterback KJ Jefferson will decide to come back for a sixth year or leave. Whether that's for another year in a college somewhere or try going pro isn't known, either, but neither affects Arkansas.

It's also likely a big factor in Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman deciding what he's going to do with the most important position on the field. All Jefferson has to do is ask some of offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino's former players how he interacts with quarterbacks. Petrino gets in their heads because he is more cerebral than most.

Does he really want that in a sixth year? They may have the next quarterback on campus already in the program, but there's no evidence to base such a statement. It's mostly guessing, but there is a lot of that these days in college football.

You can count on one hand how many teams don't have to do that literally almost every season. Forget the old mindset of getting good high school players in and develop them. If they're any good, coaches have a fight every year to keep them in their system.

Razorbacks Andrew Armstrong makes a catch against Florida International

Like it or not, that's the way things are these days and it's not going to change, despite all this talk the past week of minimums for colleges to pay each to pay athletes in all sports. Most folks don't see the key word, minimum.

Until there is a cap on the total amount each sport can spend, it's going to remain in the hands of collectives and everything else. Recent history shows there's not a federal court in the country willing to step up and try to limit how much players can be paid or allow schools to stop it.

Pittman has guys fans don't even know about watching that transfer portal nearly every minute. Decisions are put into categories of who they have at shot at getting, or worth spending resources to try and get.

Pittman and Petrino don't want to find themselves forced to settle for a player out of desperation. Getting another Jefferson to hang around for five years, starting three, should put whomever that player is at the top of the record books. Jefferson started a game all five years he's been around.

Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman before game with LSU on Saturday — Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman during pregame warmups in matchup at LSU in September.
(Craven Whitlow / allHOGS Images)

With the last game a distant past now after a season to forget, the portal is open for commitments and decisions. Razorbacks fans are anxious. If the coaches know what's going to happen, they aren't saying anything.

It should be noted Pittman hasn't, to my knowledge, made the same plea he did when the question was raised about keeping his quarterback last season. You got the idea he thought he needed Jefferson to come back. That may be the case again, but, if it is, it's certainly not been put out in the open..