Did Razorbacks' KJ Jefferson Earn Respect Needed with SEC Media for First Team?

Sanders makes SEC list; Razorbacks find out expectations in West

(Denny Medley / USA TODAY Sports)

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Are any Arkansas really that surprised quarterback KJ Jefferson was left off the first team in the preseason poll at SEC Media Days this week? It actually shouldn't be. Rocket Sander was on there, though, as he should have been.

The Razorbacks were tabbed fifth in the last year of the SEC West. As expected, Alabama is the odds-on favorite to come out on top in the West with 165 first-place vote while LSU was second with 117 votes. Georgia dominated in the East (Tennessee got 14 "so-what" votes) and the Bulldogs were tabbed the league favorite with 181 votes and the Crimson Tide 62.

Sanders was the only Hogs' player picked on the first-team selection, four Razorbacks were named on one of the teams of preseason league honors on Friday morning.

Jefferson and offensive lineman Brady Latham were second team All-SEC praise. Defensive back Dwight McGlothern was the Razorbacks’ lone representative on the defensive side of the football, picking up preseason second-team All-SEC honors.

Sanders, the first Razorback running back to earn preseason first-team All-SEC recognition since Knile Davis in 2012, is coming off one of the greatest seasons by an Arkansas running back in recent memory after rushing for 10 touchdowns and 1,443 yards – fourth-most in a single season in school history – in 2022. Sanders became just the second Razorback to ever run for 1,400+ yards and return to school the following year, joining Arkansas legend Darren McFadden, who ran for a then school record 1,647 yards in 2006 before breaking his own record in 2007 with 1,830 yards. Sanders finished second in the SEC in rushing yards en route to being named First-Team All-SEC by the Associated Press and USA Today.

Jefferson, the first Razorback quarterback to earn preseason All-SEC accolades since Tyler Wilson in 2012, is poised to rewrite a large portion of the Arkansas record book this fall as he heads into his third season as the Hogs’ full-time starter. Jefferson already sits inside the career top 10 in school history in completions (436 – 7th), yards (5816 – 7th), touchdown passes (48 – 6th), 300-yard passing games (5 – 3rd), total plays (1028 – 6th), total yards (7245 – 5th) and touchdown responsibility (67 – 4th). Jefferson’s name is already dotted throughout the school record book for numerous single-season records, including twice for completion percentage in 2021 (.673 – 3rd) and 2022 (.680 – 2nd).

Latham, a third-team All-SEC selection by Pro Football Focus last year, has been a staple on the Arkansas offensive line over the last three seasons, starting in a team-leading 36 consecutive games dating back to 2020. In 2022, he tied for the team lead in offensive snaps played (983) while allowing only two sacks and committing just two penalties.

McGlothern, who earned second-team All-SEC honors from the league’s coaches last year, had an impressive season for the Hogs in 2022, staring all 13 games and racking up a career-high 52 total tackles. He led the Arkansas defense and finished second in the SEC with four interceptions, picking off passes in each of his first two games as a Razorback against Cincinnati and South Carolina before adding interceptions against Alabama and Kansas in the Liberty Bowl.

The Razorbacks open the 2023 season Sept. 2 against Western Carolina in Little Rock at 3 p.m. The only way to watch the game is ESPN+, but you can listen to everything, starting with the pregame show and stay after the game for a postgame wrapup on ESPN Arkansas 99.5 in Fayetteville, 95.3 in the River Valley, 96.3 in Hot Springs and 104.5 in Harrison-Mountain Home.

Information from Arkansas Communications is included in this story.

HOG FEED:

PITTMAN ENTERTAINING, KIFFIN BLUNT AS TWO COACHES SERVE AS HIGHLIGHT OF SEC MEDIA DAYS

MEDIA, FORMER COACH SAY KJ JEFFERSON MUST DO UNNATURAL TO BE SUCCESSFUL THIS YEAR

KJ JEFFERSON, SAM PITTMAN CAN'T GET TEXAS A&M GAME OUT OF THEIR HEADS NEARLY A YEAR LATER

MORE WEAPONS MAKE ROCKET SANDERS EVEN MORE SCARY FOR OPPOSING TEAMS THIS YEAR

HOGS QUARTERBACK KJ JEFFERSON'S COMPLETE PRESS CONFERENCE ON CHANGES WITH NEW OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR.

RAZORBACKS COACH SAM PITTMAN TELLS MEMPHIS REPORTER HE NEEDS TO STEP UP HIS BEER GAME

PITTMAN HIGH ON DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR NOW, BUT ONE THING MADE HIM UNEASY ABOUT TRAVIS WILLIAMS HEADING INTO INTERVIEW

SEC ADDRESSES HOW LEAGUE WILL HANDLE HORNS DOWN GESTURE IN TEXAS GAMES

RAZORBACKS' BEST PLAYER SHOWS UP AT SEC MEDIA DAYS WEDNESDAY, BUT NOT WHO A LOT ASSUME THAT IS

FREEZE NOT TAKING SHOTS AT RAZORBACKS WITH LOT OF MENTIONS, IT'S SIGN OF RESPECT

IF ARKANSAS HAD GEORGIA'S SCHEDULE, HOGS WOULD BE IN CONTENTION FOR NATIONAL TITLE TOO

PERFORMANCES AT MONDAY SEC MEDIA DAYS WERE BIG WIN FOR ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS

FORMER ARKANSAS COACH BOBBY PETRINO WILL FIT IN JUST FINE WITH JIMBO FISHER

BEAUTIFUL SPEECH COMMISSIONER SANKEY, BUT IT WON'T HAPPEN BECAUSE CONGRESS IS USELESS

JORDAN ROGERS LEAVING RAZORBACKS OUT OF TOP 5 QB SITUATION IN SEC MAKES SENSE

LIVE BLOG: SEC MEDIA DAYS – DAY 1

BIGGEST QUESTION ISN'T WHERE RAZORBACKS PICKED TO FINISH, BUT IS KJ JEFFERSON BEST QUARTERBACK?

ONLY A HANDFUL OF SEC COACHES CAN FILL EVEN A LITTLE BIT OF THE VOID LEFT BY THE DEATH OF MIKE LEACH AT SEC MEDIA DAYS

FANS WILL NEVER GUESS WHERE PITTMAN WAS DURING SUSPENSEFUL PHONE CALL WITH 4-STAR RECRUIT BRAYLEN RUSSELL

RAZORBACK REBUILD ON ROCKET BOOSTERS WITH 2024 CLASS, BUT THERE'S ONE GLARING HOLE THAT NEEDS FIXED

LIVE BLOG: LOOK BACK AT BRAYLEN RUSSELL AND SELMAN BRIDGES DECISIONS AS THEY HAPPENED

CONFUSION WEDNESDAY OVER RUSSELL SOCIAL MEDIA POST INDICATION OF HOW EMOTIONAL HOG FANS WILL BE AFTER FRIDAY NIGHT'S DECISION

SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE SHOCKING INDICATOR AS TO SUCCESS OF SEC TEAMS ON FIELD AND RECRUITING

GUNDY'S COMMENTS OPEN DOOR FOR ARKANSAS, OKLAHOMA STATE TO HAVE THEIR OWN 'BEDLAM'

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