With a dominant efficiency within the Liberty Bowl, KJ Jefferson as soon as once more proved he’s among the many nation’s elite quarterbacks whereas giving Arkansas soccer followers a glimmer of hope for the long run after an up-and-down season and tumultuous begin to the offseason.

There’s lots to be upset about or involved with — dropping 3 of 4 video games to finish the common season, all the switch portal departures, blowing a 25-point lead, the officiating, and many others. — however Jefferson at the least helped the Razorbacks keep away from the sting of a loss, main them to a wild 55-53 triple time beyond regulation win over Kansas in Memphis.

The Sardis, Miss., native capped an unimaginable particular person season with 417 yards of offense and 4 complete touchdowns — plus a pair of crucial two-point conversion completions that don’t present up within the stat sheet — towards the Jayhawks.

To say Sam Pittman is thrilled that it wasn’t Jefferson’s last look in an Arkansas uniform could be an understatement. The Razorbacks’ head coach was giddy with pleasure when requested about his quarterback’s efficiency throughout his postgame interview on the UA radio broadcast.

“Aren’t you glad he got here again? I do know I’m,” Pittman stated. “I’m type of excited he got here again. He’s an awesome participant, he’s a greater individual and he’s the chief of our soccer staff. That’s simply what it’s and he performed his coronary heart out for the Arkansas Razorbacks tonight.”

On prime of his personal spectacular stat line, Jefferson led an offense that piled up 681 yards and 55 factors — each of which had been UA bowl data.

He did that regardless of being with out three of his prime 4 vast receivers, his prime tight finish and his All-SEC middle, to not point out dropping his All-SEC working again and one other offensive lineman early within the recreation, forcing a pair of true freshmen into bigger roles than anticipated.

“I feel what he did higher than something tonight was he led the soccer staff,” Pittman stated in his postgame press convention. “He was very vocal. I feel if you’re enjoying properly, it’s simpler to be vocal as properly. I feel it’s simpler to since you’re feeling higher… I assumed he was in command of the soccer recreation.”

The Liberty Bowl was additional proof of Jefferson’s significance to the Razorbacks. During the last two seasons, Arkansas has a 16-8 document in his begins — and half of these losses have been by three factors or much less, together with a Liberty recreation during which Jefferson was clearly hampered by damage and nonetheless practically led the staff to a top-25 victory.

This season, the Razorbacks averaged 37.7 factors and 496.8 yards in 10 video games with a wholesome KJ Jefferson — figures that might have damaged single-season college data and ranked twelfth and seventh nationally, respectively.

“The final two years have been — three years actually — a lot enjoyable enjoying with him,” proper deal with Dalton Wagner stated. “He’s acquired a confidence and swagger to him. … KJ is an superior chief on the market. He’s all the time calm, he’s all the time cool and picked up. And most significantly, he trusts us.”

KJ Jefferson Enjoys Nice 2022

What KJ Jefferson did within the Liberty Bowl was not an anomaly. Certain, he set a career-high for dashing yards with 130, however the efficiency was simply a part of an outstanding 2022 for the redshirt junior.

In his second season because the Razorbacks’ full-time starter, Jefferson accomplished precisely 68% of his passes for two,648 yards, 24 touchdowns and solely 5 interceptions, plus added one other 640 yards and 9 scores on the bottom.

Even supposing he missed two video games with accidents and performed damage in one other, it was nonetheless among the finest seasons by a quarterback in Arkansas historical past. Jefferson posted top-10 marks in completion share (2nd), passing yards (eighth) and landing passes (t-Sixth).

Throw in what he did on the bottom and Jefferson accounted for 3,288 yards and 33 touchdowns, which rank eighth and second, respectively, on UA single-season lists.

He was additionally among the finest quarterbacks in school soccer this season by a number of metrics, together with conventional statistics and superior analytics.

Jefferson ranked eighth within the FBS in passer score (165.2), eleventh in passing yards per try (8.83) and twelfth in completion share (68%). He’s additionally seventeenth in ESPN’s Whole QBR with a 77.9 mark.

Professional Soccer Focus provides him a 90.4 general grade, which is No. 10 within the nation and third within the SEC — solely barely behind Alabama’s Bryce Younger (91.7) and Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker (90.9).

A real dual-threat quarterback, Jefferson posted an 84.9 passing grade and 79.4 dashing grade on PFF. Each of these marks are fifteenth within the nation. The one different FBS quarterbacks with at the least 200 dropbacks and top-20 grades in each areas are Hooker, Florida State’s Jordan Travis and USC’s Caleb Williams, who gained the Heisman Trophy.

Jefferson additionally had the fourth-best passer score towards Energy 5 competitors amongst quarterbacks who performed a number of such video games this season. His 161.0 mark trailed solely three quarterbacks who completed within the prime 5 of Heisman Trophy voting — Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud (169.0), Hooker (167.0) and Williams (166.1).

The 2022 season was possible outlined by the dreaded two-word phrase that Arkansas soccer followers are all too conversant in: What if?

Particularly, what if KJ Jefferson by no means acquired damage and stayed wholesome for a full 13-game season? He missed the Mississippi State recreation with what’s believed to have been a concussion after which a shoulder damage severely restricted him towards Liberty and stored him out of the LSU recreation.

It’s exhausting to say whether or not or not his presence would have modified the outcome towards Mississippi State, which beat the Razorbacks 40-17 in Starkville, nevertheless it’s not an excessive amount of of a stretch to say a wholesome Jefferson would have been the distinction towards the Flames and Tigers — groups they misplaced to 21-19 and 13-10, respectively.

With a wholesome Jefferson, Arkansas is probably going extra environment friendly within the purple zone towards Mississippi State and who is aware of how that recreation would have performed out. Simply flip the outcomes of these latter two video games and the Razorbacks are all of a sudden 8-4 for a second straight season as an alternative of 6-6.

The ripple results of that might have been felt far and vast. In that state of affairs, Alabama wins the division and represents the SEC West in Atlanta as an alternative of LSU. If the Crimson Tide had then knocked off Georgia within the SEC Championship recreation, it could have been the SEC — not the Huge Ten — with a pair of representatives within the Faculty Soccer Playoff.

It’s unattainable to know precisely what Jefferson would have achieved in these three video games if he was wholesome, however you’ll be able to calculate an estimate from the common of his different 10 video games.

His projected numbers embody a school-record completion share of 68.7% for 3,073 yards, 29 touchdowns and solely 4 interceptions. That’d improve his passer score to 169.8, which might be fourth within the FBS.

These calculations additionally give Jefferson a projected 785 dashing yards and 12 dashing touchdowns. That will have damaged Matt Jones’ single-season UA document for dashing yards by a quarterback, plus 3,858 complete yards and 41 complete touchdowns — each of which might have been college data.

Trying Forward to 2023 for KJ Jefferson

Sufficient with the hypotheticals, although. KJ Jefferson was sensational when wholesome this season, however sadly for the Razorbacks, he handled a number of accidents.

Some thought that his Arkansas soccer profession is perhaps over, as he may have declared for the NFL Draft or — in a doomsday state of affairs — entered the switch portal. As a substitute, he ended any hypothesis about his future final month by asserting his choice to return for at the least yet another season with the Razorbacks.

There are many questions surrounding subsequent 12 months’s offense, together with what the offensive line will seem like after dropping three of 5 starters and who precisely will catch his passes after dropping 5 of his prime six targets, however Jefferson — and a deep secure of working backs — provides Sam Pittman and offensive coordinator Kendal Briles a stable core to construct round this low season.

In reality, with Bryce Younger, Hendon Hooker, Will Levis and Stetson Bennett IV shifting on, a powerful case may very well be made for Jefferson being one of the best returning quarterback within the SEC. LSU is getting Jayden Daniels again, Mississippi State returns Will Rogers and South Carolina continues to be ready on a choice from Spencer Rattler, however the Arkansas sign caller is arguably higher than any of them.

One other 12 months with the Razorbacks may also possible put KJ Jefferson’s title atop each main profession precord on the college.

He’s already prime 10 in passing yards (seventh – 5,816), landing passes (Sixth – 48), complete yards (fifth – 7,245) and complete touchdowns (4th – 67). Even a mediocre season would transfer him into first place on every of these lists.

Jefferson wants simply 1,950 yards and 17 touchdowns by the air to prime marks set by Tyler Wilson and Brandon Allen, respectively. These numbers would assist him shatter the entire yards and complete touchdowns data presently held by Matt Jones.

With solely 571 dashing yards, a quantity he’s surpassed every of the final two seasons, Jefferson would grow to be the twentieth member of the two,000-yard membership in UA historical past — and simply the second quarterback. He most likely gained’t catch Jones’ dashing complete (he’d want 1,107 yards to cross him), however Jefferson wants solely six dashing touchdowns to cross him for probably the most ever by an Arkansas quarterback.

He’ll additionally enter the 2023 season with the fourth-best yards-per-play common in class historical past. Jefferson’s 7.05-yard common ranks behind solely Ryan Mallett (8.07), Jones (7.35) and Wilson (7.30).

***

Extra protection of Arkansas soccer from BoAS…