College Football HQ

KJ Jefferson reacts after arrest, mugshot in Arkansas

KJ Jefferson was recently arrested and his mugshot circulated online, leading to questions as to why the former Arkansas quarterback was back in Fayetteville
James Parks|
Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback KJ Jefferson (1) rushes for a touchdown during a college football game.
Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback KJ Jefferson (1) rushes for a touchdown during a college football game. | Matt Pendleton / USA TODAY NETWORK

Recent UCF football transfer and former Arkansas star quarterback KJ Jefferson was booked and released this week, and sentenced to five days of community service after turning himself in on a previous reckless driving rap. Now, after his mugshot was circulated online, fans had questions about why he was back in Fayetteville.

Jefferson cleared things up by explaining in a video that he posted to Instagram.

Jefferson turned himself in on a reckless driving charge stemming from an incident that happened in May of last year, and was released shortly thereafter.

Court records show that the former Razorbacks quarterback was released 21 minutes after he was booked, and the misdemeanor commitment, the technical language for the process he went through, is a common occurrence in situations of this kind.

Before his transfer to UCF this offseason, Jefferson played to great acclaim at Arkansas, becoming the school's all-time leader with 7,911 passing yards and 67 total touchdowns in five seasons. The noted dual-threat player also carried for 1,876 yards and scored an additional 21 times.

Arkansas had consecutive winning seasons and bowl wins, but after the Hogs went 4-8 a year ago amid an offensive slump, Jefferson elected to use his final year of eligibility at UCF.

Head coach Gus Malzahn has been complimentary of Jefferson since the quarterback's arrival, saying: "Since KJ has been here, he's been a great leader and an exemplary member of our program."

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James Parks
JAMES PARKS

James Parks is the founder and publisher of College Football HQ. He has covered football for a decade, previously managing several team sites and publishing national content for 247Sports.com for five years. His work has also been published on CBSSports.com. He founded College Football HQ in 2020, and the site joined the Sports Illustrated Fannation Network in 2022 and the On SI network in 2024.

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