FAYETTEVILLE — Fans caught a glimpse of it the last two years, but Arkansas will officially enter the KJ Jefferson era Saturday.

Now in his third season and with two spot starts under his belt, the Mississippi native has been the Razorbacks’ unquestioned starting quarterback all offseason and will take the first snaps in the opener against Rice.

Despite breaking in a new starter, head coach Sam Pittman has been nothing but calm, cool and collected when talking to the media about Jefferson throughout camp and that didn’t change as camp morphed into game week.

“I think the greatest thing that happened to him was he started and played a game last year - not only for himself, but for the team,” Pittman said. “I think the team really, really believes in him. I know I do, and he has a lot of confidence and been playing really well this week.”

That game he started last year ended in defeat, but to not fault of his own. Jefferson helped the Razorbacks score a season-high 48 points and actually completed a touchdown pass and go-ahead two-point conversion in the final minute before Missouri kicked a last-second field goal to win 50-48.

He wasn’t perfect, completing just 18 of 33 passes (54.5%), but Jefferson did throw for 274 yards and three touchdowns, while adding 32 yards and another score on the ground. It was a performance that solidified his opportunity to become the starter in 2021 and now Rice coach Mike Bloomgren must figure out how to slow him down inside the friendly confines of Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

“I think KJ’s experience last year…is going to pay dividends for him and give him an opportunity to be more comfortable,” Bloomgren said. “I know it’s his first home game he’s getting a chance to start (and) I think that’s going to be really fun for him, too.”

A quiet guy by nature, Jefferson showcased his physical abilities against Missouri last season, but needed the offseason to grow into the leader expected at the quarterback position in the SEC.

By all accounts, he has done just that. Teammates have raved about him stepping up in that area and backed up their comments by voting him a team captain.

“The leadership role with KJ is something that no one else questions,” linebacker Grant Morgan said. “He's got a type of maturity that's really set himself apart here recently. … He’s taken that first starting role and he's been able to just go with it and lead and be more vocal.”

His personality may not come out in interview settings with the media, but left tackle Myron Cunningham said Jefferson is fun to be around in the locker room and on the field because he knows how to flip a switch depending on the setting.

“In the locker room, he’s funny and always joking and playing around,” Cunningham said. “When we get on that field, it’s all business. I think that’s kind of why people are so behind him on this team, because when it’s business time, he handles his business like a professional, and when it’s not, we can cut it up with him and joke around and have a good time.”

Last season, even with his showing against Missouri, Jefferson was inconsistent in practice. In fact, Pittman admitted he could have been classified as a “gamer” - a player who struggles in practice, but shines with the lights come on.

After a month of fall camp, though, that label no longer applies to him, Pittman said.

“I think he’ll be a better player on Saturday than what he is at practice, but he’s also a very fine practice player now with his accuracy,” Pittman said. “I don’t know that I can tell you I believed that throughout spring ball.”

Accuracy has been a hot-button topic for Jefferson. Over his first two seasons with the Razorbacks, which includes a start at No. 1 LSU as a true freshman and a few other appearances, he has completed less than half of his passes, with a career completion percentage of 47.2% (34 of 72).

Offensive coordinator Kendal Briles has gone on the record with a goal of 65 percent for Jefferson - a number that has been hit just three times in UA history.

Based on what he saw at practice, Pittman acknowledged he had concerns regarding him being able to reach that goal, but - as he said - “your eyes can be deceiving.” It turns out that Jefferson’s accuracy, along with backup Malik Hornsby’s, has been much better than he thought, so much so that he called it the biggest surprise of camp.

“I was concerned about Malik Hornsby’s accuracy and…I was concerned at some point about 1’s accuracy, KJ’s accuracy, as well,” Pittman said. “But then every night I watched tape… As I’m doing that, the accuracy of Malik and the accuracy of KJ were quite higher throwing the football than what I believed.”

Of course, the other aspect of Jefferson’s game is what he can do with his legs. Listed at 6-foot-3, 245 pounds, he is a true dual-threat quarterback.

It’s widely believed that he’ll be Arkansas’ most mobile quarterback since Matt Jones was running circles around SEC defenses from 2001-04. That means opposing defenses will have to be keyed in on him at all times.

“Really for how big he is, he is extremely mobile,” Rice defensive end Trey Schuman said. “So we've been focused on keeping him in the pocket and keeping him contained because we know not only he can beat us with his arm, but he can beat us with his feet.”

Kickoff against the Owls is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT Saturday. The game will be streamed on SEC Network-Plus and ESPN-Plus.

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