On Sunday, first-year Razorbacks coach Ryan Silverfield announced that KJ Jackson will start for Arkansas in its season opener Sept. 5 against North Alabama.
He beat out Memphis transfer AJ Hill for the starting job.
KJ Jackson is QB1 🐗 — Arkansas Football 🐗 (@RazorbackFB)“It wasn’t an easy decision, but a very confident one we made as a staff,” Silverfield said of the QB decision, according to ESPN. “It wasn’t because of lack of talent by the others. It was a great mix of guys competing for that starting role.”
Who is KJ Jackson?
Jackson is a 6-foot-4, 255-pound third-year quarterback out of Montgomery, Alabama.The left-handed signal caller has played in six games over the past two seasons, including one start during the 2025 campaign. Last year, he completed 61.1% of his passes for 441 yards and three touchdowns during a 2-10 season that cost previous coach Sam Pittman his job.
He started the Razorbacks’ season finale, completing 11 of 17 passes for 126 yards and a touchdown in a 31-17 loss to Missouri. Jackson also ran for 14 yards on four carries.
Jackson also played extensive snaps the week before in a 52-37 loss against Texas. In that matchup, he threw for a career-high 206 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for 17 yards and another score.
When do Utah and Arkansas play?
The Utes will host the Razorbacks on Sept. 12, with kickoff at 8:15 p.m. MDT. The game will be televised on ESPN.This will be the .
It’s also just the second time an SEC team will play at Rice-Eccles Stadium. The Utes hosted Florida in the 2023 season opener, beating the Gators 24-11.
