Cam Newton 2.0? KJ Jefferson Reminds Jimbo Fisher of Heisman Winner

The Texas A&M Aggies are in for a big challenge when they face K.J. Jefferson and the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday.
Cam Newton 2.0? KJ Jefferson Reminds Jimbo Fisher of Heisman Winner
Cam Newton 2.0? KJ Jefferson Reminds Jimbo Fisher of Heisman Winner /

The Arkansas Razorbacks are a dangerous football team

Not only are they a hop, skip and a jump away from being 4-0, losing matchups against BYU and LSU by a combined 10 points, but they also have one of the most physically imposing quarterbacks in the country in KJ Jefferson.

And Jimbo Fisher ahead of their matchup with the Hogs, Texas A&M Aggies coach Jimbo Fisher is well aware of the challenges that Jefferson will bring to the table on Saturday. 

"It starts with KJ Jefferson," Fisher said. "He reminds me of Cam Newton. He's a 6-foot-5, 250-255-pounder or whatever they say. I know he's a giant. I don't know what they weigh him at but he's big, he's strong, he's fast, he's throwing the ball excellent. He's making great decisions, he's hard to get on the ground... Going to have to make sure you wrap him up when you get pressure."

Through the first four games of the season, Jefferson has put up impressive numbers, completing better than 70 percent of his passes for 918 yards and nine touchdowns through four games. 

But what is even scarier for any opponent on the Razorbacks schedule, including the Aggies, is that Jefferson hasn't yet found his grove on the ground thus far in 2023, rushing for 128 yards on 47 carries. 

Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback KJ Jefferson (1) rushes during the fourth quarter against the BYU Cougars at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. BYU won 38-31.
KJ Jefferson tucks the ball to run vs. BYU / Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

But Fisher knows that, even though it hasn't come out fully this season, his defense must be on high alert for Jefferson's mobility at all times. 

"How do you rush him? Which way do you force him? How do you collapse the pocket? Every quarterback has things he does well and things he doesn't do as well as the others," Fisher said. "You're always trying to force them to do the things they don't do well whether it's scrambling to their left or their right. Or sometimes containing the pocket."

So how can the Aggies disrupt a 6-foo-5, 255-pound quarterback with a rocket arm that can also run like a deer?

Throw everything in the book at him, and hope they can get him on the ground. 

"There's different ways to affect him, we're going to have to do all of them," Fisher said. 'There's going to be times where he's probably going to break through a few of them. I pray he doesn't and our spies can get him on the ground."

The Aggies and Razorbacks are set to kick off at 11 a.m. CT from AT&T Stadium in Dallas. 


Published
Matt Galatzan
MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Texas Longhorns In SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI and a long-time member of the Football Writer’s Association of America. He graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry in 2014 covering the Dallas Mavericks with the 247Sports network. He also spent two years covering the SMU Mustangs for PonyStampede.com for 247Sports. He then moved over to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of the Longhorns and Aggies sites a year later. Through the years, Galatzan has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, NBA legend Dirk Nowitzki, ex Longhorns Dan Neil and Phil Dawson, FOX News and former ESPN host Will Cain, as well as countless other recruits and former players for each of the teams he has covered. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan.