Jacolby Criswell gives Arkansas a true two-deep at quarterback
Fourth-year head coach Sam Pittman led the Razorbacks into another fall camp Friday as the team now has its first of 25 scheduled fall camp practices in the books.
During his tenure in Fayetteville, Pittman has seemed to have a backup quarterback who could step in and confidently win a game if needed.
In 2020, Feleipe Franks was the starting quarterback with redshirt freshman KJ Jefferson behind him. Jefferson is a Preseason All-SEC Second Team quarterback now, but relying on a player who lacked experience like he did at the time is always risky.
In the 2021 and 2022 seasons, Jefferson served as the starter while Malik Hornsby was primarily the second-team quarterback. Cade Fortin did split time with Hornsby on the second team in 2022 and both earned one start each in the two games that Jefferson was injured for.
Hornsby flashed his potential in scramble situations with his elite speed but struggled in the passing game as he completed just 46.2% of his passes. Fortin started at Mississippi State last season and the Razorbacks lost, 40-17. Hornsby was then given the reigns of the offense against LSU, who earned a 13-10 win over the Hogs.
Following the completion of the regular season, Hornsby entered the transfer portal and elected to take his talents to Texas State. Fortin decided to stick around and he was awarded a scholarship over the offseason.
After losing both games that Jefferson was unable to play in, Pittman and his coaching staff knew they needed an answer at the backup quarterback position. After North Carolina quarterback Jacolby Criswell entered the transfer portal, things quickly lined up for the Morrilton native to return to his home state.
The 6-foot-0 backup looked solid during spring practice and in the Razorbacks' spring football game, the redshirt junior completed 8-of-12 passes for 87 yards and a touchdown. With the spring and summer sessions under his belt, Criswell is now exuding the confidence needed for an SEC quarterback.
"Jacolby...it seemed like Jacolby was a little more relaxed or confident," Pittman said Friday. "I felt like the summer and the OTA's on their own and all that stuff helped him. A lot of it has to do with talent, a lot of it has to do with what my mind's telling me motivation-wise or confidence-wise.
"I felt like he was night and day from where he was in the spring. I felt like he knew what he was doing, then he made some checks and things of that nature that he might not have done in spring ball. Threw the ball well, he's got a really strong ball."
Criswell's confidence will be vital to Arkansas' success if he's needed to step up. He's clearly talented and in a start against Wofford during the 2021 season, the former four-star completed 11 passes for 125 yards as he led the Tarheels to victory.
That talent can push other quarterbacks around him to improve, including Jefferson, who had good things to say about his counterparts after Friday's practice.
"Yeah they did really good," Jefferson said of Criswell and Fortin. "At the end of practice I brought it up to them. We’re doing really good throwing the ball and making great decisions with the ball and knowing where the ball should go and making sure the ball gets there.
"So everybody is understanding how Coach Enos calls plays and breaking down the defense and reading their…they’re going through their pre-snap routine and stuff. Everybody is coming along really well.”
In the grueling SEC West division, injuries happen. Should Jefferson — a dual-threat quarterback known for his aggressive running ability — go down with an injury at some point during the season, Razorbacks fans should rest assured knowing they have a player in Criswell who has the belief of his teammates and coaching staff.
The Razorbacks will have 24 fall camp practices left ahead of the start of the season on Saturday, Sept. 2, when the Hogs will take on Western Carolina at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.