This Happened, So, Arkansas Fans Basically Have Answer to Hogs' KJ Jefferson Question

Hard to imagine either QB choosing to be Razorback if the other makes same choice

Author:
Kent Smith
Updated:
Dec 11, 2023 5:18 PM EST
Original:
Dec 11, 2023

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Sometimes common sense and basic reasoning aren't acceptable, especially in the world of crazed fans. However, in this case, it's going to have to be.

With Boise State quarterback Taylen Green's announcement he is going to be a Razorback, fans should also simultaneously consider that an announcement current quarterback KJ Jefferson is transferring. Sure, stranger things have happened, but the odds of this being one of them is about as high as Eric Musselman having an ice cream social with his players this afternoon out of appreciation for all the great things they did on the floor against Oklahoma.

Let's start with the most obvious. It took a lot of convincing to get Green to come even if his main competition this spring is Jacolby Criswell and Malachi Singleton. He is a skilled quarterback with a ton of upside, but he also has flaws in his game that have dogged him throughout his journey to Arkansas.

Beating out either quarterback was going to be a chore. Adding Jefferson to the mix with all of his experience and deep personal relationship with Sam Pittman makes a difficult task almost impossible to overcome even if he was previously recruited by Bobby Petrino during his time as coach at Missouri State.

The second thing to consider is Green isn't coming here for free. He's going to command a nice slice of that NIL money everyone in the program has been stressing over. Even with the renewed efforts to bring in more cash to the pot, Arkansas isn't exactly competing with the big dogs when it comes to player payroll.

With this team struggling in so many areas, especially with a need to load up on quality offensive linemen while increasing speed and route running ability at receiver in addition to bringing in ready to go linebackers and defensive lineman or two, there's no room to allocate funds to a fifth quarterback. That would be a complete waste of money.

A significant amount has to come off the payroll for Arkansas to be successful in this case, and the weekly Hog Walk made it easily clear as to who commands the most compensation on this roster. Jefferson showing up to work each Saturday dripped out in name brand everything looking like he's headed to the stage at the NFL draft stands in stark contrast the rest of his teammates, even though a couple tried unsuccessfully to keep up.

If both Jefferson and Green end up in the quarterback room together this spring, expect there to be a parade of Division II and lower Group of Five players walking through the portal. There won't be enough money to add anyone with Power Five experience or from a strong Group of Five program. Pittman knows he has to upgrade the overall talent, so to hamstring himself from an NIL standpoint would be borderline career suicide and would also alienate fans who often complain about whether Arkansas football makes the best use of the funds it already has.

So, Jefferson may not have officially announced his intention to leave, but the writing is etched hard into the wall. Most fans have presumed that and made their peace with it for the most part. That's why there won't be the massive reaction or backlash seen like when linebacker Chris "Pooh" Paul left, even if Jefferson goes to another SEC school.

The only way this ends in some form of stunned reaction is if he announces he intends to run it back one more time. If that happens, Pittman will have some explaining to do.