An offensive coordinator change isn't always something that projects to benefit a third year starting quarterback. Despite this, Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson and new offensive coordinator Dan Enos have developed a strong relationship in just three months.
Jefferson, a redshirt senior, is now under his third offensive coordinator while in Fayetteville. Joe Craddock called the plays during Jefferson's freshman season in 2019 and then Kendal Briles came in with head coach Sam Pittman and ran the offense from 2020-22 before departing for the offensive coordinator job at TCU over the offseason.
Enter Dan Enos, who has a strong history of coaching high-level quarterbacks, such as Brandon Allen, Tua Tagovailoa and Taulia Tagovailoa. While Jefferson had success as the starter for two years under Briles, he seems primed to unlock a new level of his game in a pro-style offense.
The 6-foot-3, 246 pound quarterback unofficially went 9 for 18 with 131 yards passing and two touchdowns during Saturday's Red-White Game. After 15 spring practices with Enos calling the offense, Jefferson said he's enjoying himself.
"It’s been fun," Jefferson said Saturday. "Just being able to talk the same terminology, being on the same page, understanding what plays he’s going to call on certain downs and distances. Just being able to just go in there, we pick each other’s brain, just go in there, get on the board, talk about different plays or what he’s thinking on this play and stuff like that.
"It’s been really amazing and also just him as a coach, on the field coaching all the quarterbacks hard, very fundamental guy, technical guy, so we needed that. I’m just embracing each and every day with him."
Jefferson recorded a 68.0 completion percentage in 2022, which topped his 67.3% in 2021. He now holds the No. 2 and No. 3 best season completion percentage marks in program history. His passing yards (2,648) and passing touchdown (24) marks last season also rank top-10 for a season in program history.
After having such a high level of success as a second year SEC starter at Arkansas, Jefferson is having more fun and playing with more confidence this year, according to Pittman.
"I think obviously KJ had a good spring," Pittman said. "I think he's really taken to Dan. That's not saying anything about Kendal, I'm just talking about Dan. He's taken to Dan, and Dan has done a nice job with him. Kendal did, too. I think he's a more knowledgeable quarterback for the NFL simply because we're in an NFL system. I think he's playing with a lot of confidence."
Jefferson talked about the pro-style system ran by Enos will prepare him for the next level better than the previous system under Briles.
"From a whole different system, so the terminology is way different now than the past, so now just be able to just, from a quarterback standpoint, we’re re-Miking different things, changing protections, communicating, changing runs, communicating to the receivers and stuff like that," Jefferson said. "The terminology is more on an NFL-style basis now. Everybody is just speaking the same terminology now, so whenever we do make that step to go to the NFL it won’t be a foreign language to us."
While things might look complex at times, Jefferson has said this spring that the plan is to keep it simple. The Hogs will line up different ways, motion guys and try to get the defense on their toes, all while sticking to what has worked for them.
One of the biggest differences will be that Jefferson will not just work primarily out of the shotgun like he has for two years now.
"We’ll be under center, Shotgun, Pistol," Jefferson said on March 10. "We switch it up all the time. So Coach Enos also has just told us he wants us to get comfortable starting off under center and just mixing up different things, different footwork and things trying to get us comfortable for this upcoming season. We’ve all bought into it. We’re all enjoying it. It’s going great."
Part of the buy-in from the team had to be tough with five new on-field assistant coaches and 25 scholarship players departing to the transfer portal after the end of last season. Pittman has said the culture is better than it was last season, and Jefferson said Saturday that the team is embracing each other as a brotherhood.
"I mean, we became tighter than ever, everybody’s buying into the process, I mean, we’re trusting the coaches," Jefferson said. "So I mean, we’re just coming together, everybody’s coming together, buying in, no one’s complaining, no one’s trying to cut corners, take the easy way out.
"I mean, everybody’s working, coming in on off days, working, helping each other more. I would say that’s the big thing is everybody’s helping each other more. If somebody’s struggling, before the coaches even say something, a player’s already in his ear coaching him up. So things like that just translate over to just for the future, just knowing that we’re on the right path."
