Arkansas landed A&M grad transfer quarterback Nick Starkel Monday night, giving the 2019 quarterback room another huge leg up from where it was in 2018. The Razorbacks will have one more scholarship quarterback for the season than in 2018 (should everything remain as is through fall camp) and the group will have 88% more game snaps to start the season than they did before the 2018 season.
Here's a look at all six quarterbacks that will be on the roster starting this summer:
Ben Hicks - 1 Year Remaining
Ben Hicks, a Waco, Texas native, was a 3-star pro-style QB out of high school. He committed to come to Chad Morris's struggling program as part of his first signing class in 2015 and took the program from 2-10 to 7-5 in three seasons, two as the starting quarterback.
Hicks started for Chad Morris as a redshirt freshman after the Mustangs' starting quarterback Matt Davis went down in the 2016 season opener against UNT. Hicks played the remaining 11 games of the season throwing for 2,930 yards with 19 passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns. The first sign of the program's turnaround was the Mustangs' road victory over then-top 25 ranked Houston, led by Hicks' 228 yards and three touchdowns.
Hicks went into the 2017 season as the assumed starter but still had to compete against former Wisconsin quarterback DJ Gillins. Gillins was never healthy enough to truly compete against Hicks for the starting job but Morris inserted him in seven games for his mobility, which is not Hicks' calling card.
Where Hicks does excel is his arm strength, ability to run the up-tempo offense and his flexibility and football IQ to make plays. He threw for 3,569 yards, 33 touchdowns and 12 picks and left after the 2018 season with the program's career passing record topping 9,000 yards.
Hicks experienced a drop off under new head coach Sonny Dykes, only starting nine games, and elected to transfer for his final year of eligibility.
Total Snap Count: 2,495
Nick Starkel - 2 Years Remaining
This Texas native was a 5.7 3-star prospect coming out of Liberty Christian High School in the Dallas area. He had seven offers including North Texas, Oklahoma State, Tulane and UCLA but he decided to commit to the Aggies just before signing day in 2016 and he joined Rakeem Boyd in the class.
Starkel arrived in College Station and redshirted his freshman year behind a senior starting quarterback, and the Aggies went 8-5 in 2016. As a redshirt freshman, Starkel won the starting job over sophomore Kellen Mond but after just 13 passing attempts and two sacks against UCLA, Starkel broke his ankle and the Aggies lost 45-44.
After rehabbing his ankle, Starkel was able to return and played in six more games. He graded out for the season at a 74.8 on ProFootballFocus with a 60 percent completion percentage, more completions than Mond, more touchdowns than Mond, but the same number of interceptions in three fewer games. He finished with throwing for 1,793 yards and 14 touchdowns on 123 of 205 passing. The Aggies went 7-6, Kevin Sumlin was fired, Jimbo Fisher was hired and Starkel found himself riding the bench behind Mond in 2018. In four games, he completed 15 of 22 passes for 169 yards and a touchdown.
Starkel is a big-time pocket passer, he only totaled eight actual running plays in 2017 and amassed -42 yards in 12 carries.
Total Snap Count: 475
Read Starkel's commitment story, here.
Daulton Hyatt - 3 Years Remaining
A 3-star prospect out of Alabama in the 2017 class, Hyatt was an early enrollee who picked Arkansas over 16 other offers including Ole Miss, Missouri, Vanderbilt and Miami. Hyatt put up over 6,000 yards and 66 touchdowns in high school but he hasn't shown much on the Hill yet, serving as Chad Morris's scout team quarterback in 2018.
Hyatt took four snaps in 2018 in the first game of the season against Eastern Illinois.
Total Snap Count: 4
Connor Noland - 4 Years Remaining
Another pro-style quarterback on the roster, Connor Noland was a home-grown 4-star prospect who signed with the Hogs over the Aggies, Rebels, Missouri Tigers and several more programs. Noland is a dual-sport athlete who is currently making history as one of the Razorbacks' only athletes to start at both quarterback and on the diamond as a freshman, joining tight ends' coach Barry Lunney Jr.
Noland was able to keep his redshirt for 2018, playing in four games, starting at home against Tulsa with starting QB Ty Storey concussed. Even against Tulsa, an AAC opponent, Noland graded out on ProFootball Focus below a 50. In 2018, Noland completed at 50 percent on 42 attempts for 255 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. He also had 26 rushing attempts for a net of four yards, he also took nine sacks.
Total Snap Count: 130
John Stephen Jones - 4 Years Remaining
A 2-star two-time state champion out of Highland Park inside Dallas, Texas, John Stephen Jones committed in the 2018 class over offers from SMU and Texas Tech. Jones saw action in three games in 2018 with eight attempts, two completions and one interception.
With Starkel and Jefferson enrolling in the summer and Connor Noland playing baseball this spring, Jones is going to get a lot more practice reps.
Total Snap Count: 20
KJ Jefferson - 4 Years Remaining
A 4-star signee in the 2019 class out of North Panola High School in Mississippi, fans have high, high hopes for true dual-threat KJ Jefferson. Jefferson appears raw as a thrower and will continue to work on his accuracy but he is a phenomenal athlete with great arm strength. Jefferson threw for 3,180 yards on 166 of 275 passing (60.4 percent), 37 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. He also had 115 carries for 916 yards and 7 more touchdowns. He's in the top five for Mississippi's all-time passing yards and touchdowns with 119.
Jefferson has plenty of time to develop with the additions of two grad transfer quarterbacks to the 2019 roster.
Total Snap Count: 0
Read Jefferson's signing day profile, here.
Take a free look at the projected 2019 scholarship distribution as it stands now with 80 scholarship players.
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