What Arkansas OC Kendal Briles is looking for in a quarterback

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FAYETTEVILLE — One of the immediate issues facing new Arkansas offensive coordinator Kendal Briles is figuring out the revolving door at quarterback.

The Razorbacks have used eight different starters at the position over the last two seasons, including five in five games to end 2019. Three of those quarterbacks are still on the roster, but they could also dip into the transfer portal.

Although intrigue always surrounds the position, it’s even higher this offseason as Briles takes the reins under new head coach Sam Pittman. For the first time since taking the job, Briles sat down with Pig Trail Nation for an interview and described what exactly he’s looking for in a quarterback.

In addition to the intangibles - like leading the team on and off the field and commanding the locker room and huddle - there are certain traits the play-caller is looking for.

“Obviously you have to have some physical attributes that make you a good Division I player, so a guy that can throw,” Briles said. “I like a guy that’s mobile enough that he can extend plays. I don’t necessarily want to run a guy.

“I think if you do that too much in the SEC West, you’re going to beat him up, but it is good to have a guy that you can rely on to make some yards when needed.”

At nearly every stop, Briles has had a quarterback who is more than capable of doing damage with his legs.

He was the inside receivers coach at Baylor when Robert Griffin III won the Heisman Trophy and then, as the Bears’ offensive coordinator, his quarterbacks - primarily Seth Russell, Jarrett Stidham and Zach Smith - combined for 17 rushing touchdowns.

At Florida Atlantic, Jason Driskel averaged 5.1 yards per carry and scored eight touchdowns on the ground. The following season, Briles moved on to Houston and helped D’Eriq King - who has been linked to Arkansas as a possible transfer, but seems to be a heavy Miami (Fla.) lean - rack up 674 rushing yards and 14 scores.

The exception was his lone season at Florida State. James Blackman did finish with positive yards and one touchdown, but Alex Hornibrook had minus-71 yards. It’s worth noting, though, that the Seminoles had one of the worst offensive lines in the country, as they allowed a whopping 48 sacks resulting in 295 yards lost.

Now with the Razorbacks, Briles said he thinks he has some options already on campus, but didn’t rule out a newcomer winning the starting job.

“We need a quarterback,” Briles said, when asked about the team’s recruiting needs. “You’re always going to need that position to be great, so definitely need to improve there.”

John Stephen Jones and Jack Lindsey have each shown glimpses of mobility. However, there’s no doubt redshirt freshman KJ Jefferson has the most potential in that regard.

Arkansas could also add Feleipe Franks as a graduate transfer from Florida. The former 6.0 four-star prospect was listed as a pro-style quarterback coming out of high school, but flashed some mobility under Dan Mullen.

In his last 16 games at Florida - the entire 2018 season and the first three games before getting injured last season - Franks scored eight rushing touchdowns. Although not a true dual-threat, he averaged 4.7 yards per carry when excluding sacks.

Luckily for Briles, he still has about seven and a half months to figure out who will take the first snap against Nevada on Sept. 5.