Briles discusses Jefferson's weight, target completion percentage
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FAYETTEVILLE — To a casual observer who doesn’t automatically recognize him, KJ Jefferson might look more like a linebacker than a quarterback.
Listed at 6-foot-3, 245 pounds, the Mississippi native is entering his first season as Arkansas’ starter and raised some eyebrows earlier in camp when he admitted to being more than 10 pounds over his target weight.
At the time, Jefferson said he was 247 pounds and would like to get down to the 230-235 range, which - with no games to react to - prompted a wide-ranging response from fans on social media and message boards.
To offensive coordinator Kendal Briles, though, it wasn’t that big of a deal.
“I’ll tell you what, he can run and he can move and he’s got a first step, so I’m not really concerned with it,” Briles said. “A lot of times there’s wants and there’s needs. We need him to be really, really good. I don’t care if he’s 285 as long as he’s dropping dimes on people and getting away from pressure.”
Briles added that Jefferson has since dropped under 245 pounds and looks comfortable at his current weight, despite not being at the 235-pound goal they set back in the spring.
A true dual-threat quarterback, Jefferson is expected to be the Razorbacks’ best running quarterback since Matt Jones in the early 2000s. He doesn’t think his size will hold him back this season, but eventually getting down to 235 could make him better in the future.
“I feel like I can still run, move and get out of certain situations still,” Jefferson said. “But I feel like me at 235, I’d be more explosive and how I want to be rather than at the weight I’m at right now.”
The more important number Jefferson this season is likely his completion percentage.
It has certainly improved since he arrived on campus as a four-star recruit from North Panola, a small school in Sardis, Miss., but he still struggles with consistency in his accuracy.
“This summer, the biggest thing we wanted to work on was continuing to work on his mobility and his accuracy in practice,” Briles said. “Whenever KJ had some opportunities to play and then when we had scrimmages in the spring, he was very accurate. When we were in practices, he wasn't as accurate.”
Briles said he was pleased with how Jefferson progressed over the summer with strength coach Jamil Walker, as he built up a solid base that makes him “physically more capable” of what he’s asked to do.
The goal for him this season is to complete 65 percent of his passes, Briles said. Last season, Feleipe Franks completed 68.5 percent of his passes to shatter the UA single-season record that was set 41 years ago by Kevin Scanlon (66.2%). The only other Arkansas quarterback to hit that mark was Brandon Allen in 2015 (65.9%).
“I feel like that's a great number I can accomplish this year,” Jefferson said. “Just taking what the defense gives me, not being too greedy, not trying to be overly-aggressive (and) just taking easy completions, moving the ball down the field and getting a great amount of yards, it shouldn't be an attack that I can't handle.”
In limited action, Jefferson has completed only 47.2 percent of his passes in college. Even when he led Arkansas to a season-high 48 points in his start at Missouri, he was just 18 of 33 passing (54.5%).
How close that number gets to Briles’ goal of 65 percent will likely have much more bearing on the Razorbacks’ success in 2021 than the goal of 235 pounds. Already naturally big, that size shouldn’t keep him from being the mobile quarterback Arkansas expects him to be.
“I would like him to be a little bit less, but dad gum, he’s big kid and he’s going to be tough to bring down and he’s still very active with his feet,” Briles said. “That’s kind of the way his body is. KJ’s a big guy. I’m proud of where he’s at right now.”
The Razorbacks open the season Sept. 4 against Rice. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT and the game will be streamed on SEC Network-Plus and ESPN-Plus.