SECMD22: What KJ Jefferson Has Improved from Last Year

Getting some confidence early led to success later for Razorbacks' quarterback

allHOGS Staff | Jul 20, 2022

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Arkansas Razorbacks

ATLANTA — Here's what Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson said Wednesday morning at SEC Media Days:

On the confidence that his performance in last year's Alabama game gave him:

Jefferson: “It gave me a lot of confidence. The preparation the week leading up to the game, just getting with my coaches and meeting on the game plan, and I was really confident about the game plan. When it came down to game time, it was just my teammates being able to make plays for me. I was able to get the ball to them and let them make plays."

On what he has improved on and what he can still improve:

Jefferson: "I feel like I improved on decision-making and being disciplined with the ball — just taking care of the ball and trying to put my teammates in the best position to win. I feel like moving forward, I want to be more consistent and keep being more vocal in a leadership role."

KJ Jefferson-SECMD22 — Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson is interviewed during SEC Media Days at the College Football Hall of Fame. (Dale Zanine / USA TODAY Sports)

On if he thinks Arkansas is ready to sustain success:

Jefferson: "I do. We all just bought in, locked in. We're all buying in to the process and believing in each other, being more and more confident each and every day. Just coming in and working. And also being able to come in and love one another, really bond and get to know each other not from a football standpoint, but from a personal level."

On the most special aspect of last year's Georgia team:

Jefferson: "I would say just the environment, just going to a hostile environment like that. It kind of gave us a heads up on being in the SEC — going to a hostile environment and what to expect, and moving forward how to prepare for a hostile environment like that. So being able to learn from it — a lesson learned — and moving forward."

On offensive coordinator Kendal Briles:

Jefferson: "He has played a tremendous role, being able to instill the confidence in me in being able to run his offense and trying to run it to perfection and make sure we gain a lot of production out of the offense and just being able to take his offense to the next level."

On why Pittman has been so successful at Arkansas:

Jefferson: "Just the work mentality that he brought back, and the pride. We love to play for him, and also bringing that hope and that willingness back to the state of Arkansas."

On snapping a nine-game losing streak against Texas A&M last season:

Jefferson: "It was a real surreal moment, being able to win one of our trophy games, being able to bring that back to Fayetteville and also being able to live in that moment, embrace that moment with my teammates and being able to overcome a lot of adversity we've been through in the past."

On if it is a goal to get over the hump and beat Auburn:

Jefferson: "It is a goal to finally get over the hump and beat Auburn, because the last couple of years it has been a real tough battle between us, the two teams. Being able to get over that hump would be what we're looking for in our program."

On Arkansas' mentality heading into the 2022 season:

Jefferson: "We do feel like we have a target on our back now, coming off of last season and the success that we had last season. Everyone is buying in, knowing that we have a target on our back and we'll have to work extremely harder than ever to keep being consistent and keep improving."

On what he learned from the Georgia game last season:

Jefferson: "We just can't get too high. I feel like, as a team, we needed that for everybody to get back to a level head and remain humble. So I feel like we needed that early on in the season. With that loss, everybody became a lot tighter, we bonded really well and got right back to work."

On his plan to improve this summer and his performance against Alabama last year:

Jefferson: "The main thing (regarding) getting better for me was getting my weight down so I can be able to put myself and my teammates in the best position to win. Then competing with Alabama, it has always been a big rivalry between us two and we just want to be able to get over the hump, always stay in the fight and always believe and have the confidence that we all have a chance."

On his first start against LSU in 2019:

Jefferson: "Going into that game, I was extremely confident in myself just being able to go into a hostile environment for my first game, first start in college. Now I've learned from that — going into hostile environments, just being confident and making sure that my team and everybody else is on one page going into a game like that so we're all on the same page and everybody's locked in."

On playing for Pittman:

Jefferson: "I love Coach Pittman. There is never a day that goes by when he's not joking. He's always joking on the field. Being able to have a coach like that that is really in tune with the players and not just treating the players like robots and really building relationships with the players is extremely amazing — the way that he interacts with us on a daily basis."

On how far the program has come:

Jefferson: "Just shows that the program is on the rise. We're heading in the right direction, and we want to keep moving forward and keep improving each and every day and try to get this program back to where it used to be."

On the win over Texas last year:

Jefferson: "First starting off, I didn't know the rivalry was that big. Because I'm from Mississippi, so I didn't really know. I only realized it was really big when I saw Jerry Jones walk on the field, so I was like, 'Oh this is a big deal.' Seeing him walk out there on the field, it's like, 'OK, we gotta play ball now.' I remember the game, the team just always stayed together no matter what. We started out pretty slow, put in some adverse situations. But the team didn't divide. We didn't point fingers or anything like that. We came together and built confidence in each other. Winning that game showed Arkansas can play with the best of the best."

On his best performance last year:

Jefferson: "I would say the Ole Miss game. Even though we came up short, I feel like the Ole Miss game, I gave it my all. Even though we came up short, I wanted to show people that I still can be a great quarterback in this league."

On what he would categorize as a successful season in 2022:

Jefferson: "Just getting over that hump. Try to maintain, getting a 10-game winning season and getting over that hump from nine games. Taking that next step going forward. Our team goal is being able to get over that hump and take the next step, try to get a 10- or 11-win season."

On what Arkansas' offense will look like in 2022 and who is standing out during the offseason:

Jefferson: "As far as our offense, I feel like we're gonna be pretty balanced this season with the run and pass attack. I want to shout out my receiving corps. Those guys are just competitors that came out each and every day, worked hard. On our off days, weekends, we come in. Everybody is working out, and being able to fill that void from Treylon Burks leaving, just being able to have guys step up and maximize that opportunity when it presents itself."