The very brief Feleipe Franks era at Arkansas has come and gone, leaving the door wide open for any one of the Hogs' five scholarship quarterbacks to take the reins in Sam Pittman's second year on the Hill. Franks is gearing up for the NFL Draft, ranking 7th on Mel Kiper's QB draft board (just behind his successor at Florida Kyle Trask), and he leaves behind some big shoes to fill. Despite playing all SEC opponents, Franks broke the long-standing Arkansas record for single-season completion percentage, completing passes at 68.5% clip. He averaged 8.9 yards per completion and added 1.9 yards per carry as well.
Franks' QB play and leadership gave Arkansas fans what they'd been desperately searching for over the last half decade. Replacing him will be a tall task for Kendal Briles and Sam Pittman, but luckily they have eight months until the matter needs to be settled and a room full of quarterbacks itching to prove themselves.
Arkansas has two quarterbacks on the roster who've started games in their tenure. John Stephen Jones, grandson of Razorback legend Jerry Jones, took 62 snaps in 2019 during the infamous Morris QB Carousel but the 5-foot-11 sophomore wasn't on the two-deep during Pittman's first season.
Mississippi native KJ Jefferson, who will once again be a redshirt freshman due to NCAA legislation, will enter the spring as the favorite to win the quarterback battle after starting in place of Franks in the Missouri game. Jefferson exceeded expectations against the Tigers, completing three touchdowns and 18 of 33 passes, despite the Hogs' two-point loss. Voted Mississippi 3A's Mr. Football at South Panola High School, Jefferson broke records, throwing for 9,654 yards and 119 touchdowns.
The former 4-star showed growth from his few appearances in 2019 to his full-game performance in 2020 and his two seasons worth of experience give him an edge over the young bucks coming in. At 6-foot-3, 239 pounds, Jefferson is also the largest of the Arkansas quarterbacks, though that makes him a bit more lumbering when running the ball.
Briles' big win of the 2020 class, Malik Hornsby was the only other quarterback (besides Jack Lindsey as a holder) to see the field for the Razorbacks in 2020–though it was just two snaps. At 6-foot-2, 183, Hornsby is lanky and quick. At Fort Bend Marshall High, Hornsby racked up 2,320 passing yards and 29 touchdowns with just two interceptions while adding 1,582 rushing yards. Hornsby's 10.7 speed and the danger he presents to teams outside of the pocket are just a couple reasons why he's far from ruled out of winning the QB competition in 2021.
The Razorbacks signed two quarterbacks in the 2021 class, but only one is on the Hill to compete for the job this spring. Texas native Lucas Coley didn't face the toughest of competition at Cornerstone Christian in San Antonio but the Friday Night Tykes star has the mind of a coach that just might help him see the field as a true freshman. At 6-foot-2, 197 pounds and still 17 years old, Coley puts nice pace and spin on the ball. He'll continue to get stronger but his arm strength and accuracy are already comparable to any QB in the room.
The only Arkansas native amongst the scholarship quarterbacks is Landon Rogers. The Parkview dual-threat will join the rest of the room on the Hill this summer, naturally putting him behind the curve. Rogers completed just 54% of his passes as a senior but Pittman noted he believes there's a lot of untapped potential and room for growth in his game. Running a 4.5 40-yard dash and squatting 450 pounds, Rogers impresses with his 6-foot-4 frame.
Not a team to shy away from playing walk-ons, Arkansas also added former Ole Miss signee Kade Renfro. Renfro was moved from quarterback to wide receiver as a true freshman for the Rebels, therefore opting to transfer–though without a scholarship. For the moment, Renfro isn't eligible to play in 2021 for the Hogs but that could change pending NCAA legislation on one-time penalty-free transfers. The Stephenville High alum isn't considered a dual-threat but he claims a 4.6 40.
Three Things We Know
1. Every scholarship quarterback on the roster is a dual-threat.
2. Kendal Briles will be continuing his system into a second season at the same program for the first time since 2016.
3. Malik Hornsby, Lucas Coley and Landon Rogers give Arkansas three freshmen quarterbacks, a rarity that will likely end up with a transfer or maybe a position change for one or more of them.
Three Biggest Questions
1. Does KJ Jefferson relinquish the lead for QB1?
2. Could the QB battle be settled this spring?
3. Who throws the most accurate deep passes?
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