One week after Ryan Silverfield described Arkansas' first-half offense against North Alabama as "one of the worst I've ever been associated with," the Arkansas Razorbacks are officially in panic mode at the quarterback position.
Junior QB KJ Jackson won the starting job for the Hogs back in late August, but following a disappointing outing against North Alabama in Week 1 and a horrible performance in last night's 43-10 loss to Utah, it's clear that the team's signal-caller still has a long way to go before becoming a quality SEC quarterback.
KJ Jackson stumbles in first true test as Arkansas' starting QB
There's no sugarcoating it: Utah took KJ Jackson to task last night.
Things started well for the Hogs, whose lengthy opening drive ultimately resulted in a 29-yard field goal by Max Gilbert. Unfortunately for the Razorbacks, this would end up being their only points until late in the fourth quarter when backup QB AJ Hill would toss a TD pass to Ismael Cisse that should have realistically been intercepted.
Altogether, KJ Jackson went 14-for-34 with 139 passing yards, zero touchdowns, and one interception, adding seven rushes for 34 yards on the ground. Against a Utah offense that totaled 43 points and 442 yards, Jackson's anemic display was the opposite of what the Hogs needed from their QB. Jackson lacked chemistry with his receivers, tossed way too many 50/50 balls, and was repeatedly asked to roll out opposite his throwing hand, making things even harder than they needed to be for him.
To be fair, Jackson wasn't operating in ideal circumstances. Arkansas rushed for just 61 yards as a team and allowed four sacks, giving its quarterbacks little help against one of the better defenses on the schedule. Still, Jackson needed to compensate for those shortcomings, and instead, the Razorbacks struggled to consistently threaten Utah downfield.
For Arkansas fans who watched the team go 2-10 last season, it's hard not to sound the alarm bells after last night's performance, especially considering how much the Razorbacks struggled at the QB position in 2025. After all, it wasn't just KJ Jackson who had a bad night under center.
KJ Jackson almost threw another incerception but an amazing catch by Cisse. #WPS pic.twitter.com/NaWdptp1HH
— Tanner Phifer (@TannerPhifer) September 13, 2026
Sophomore quarterback AJ Hill played in cleanup duty for the Hogs during the fourth quarter, and to be fair, his stats in the box score -- 8-for-14, 105 yards, one TD, zero interceptions -- looked significantly better than Jackson's. However, as is often the case, the box score doesn't exactly tell the full story.
Despite his stats, Hill struggled with many of the same issues as KJ Jackson on the field, routinely taking too long to deliver the ball on short and intermediate routes. He didn't do a great job of navigating the pocket, either, and Utah's pressure repeatedly disrupted his timing. Even his touchdown pass to Cisse, which went right through the hands of a Utah defensive back, inspired little confidence in Hill's short-term viability at the QB position.
Ryan Silverfield doesn't have long to figure out his answer at quarterback, as No. 2-ranked Georgia is coming to Fayetteville this weekend in what will be both teams' conference opener. At this point, beating Kirby Smart's squad feels like a pipe dream, but even if the Razorbacks don't do the impossible, they desperately need a concrete answer at QB if they want to be competitive throughout this season.
If not, the Hogs might struggle more than they expect against Tulsa in Week 4.
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