The quarterback most likely to start for Arkansas when it travels to face Utah on Sept. 12 has been decided.
On Sunday, first-year Razorbacks coach Ryan Silverfield announced that KJ Jackson will start for Arkansas in its season opener Sept. 5 against North Alabama.
He beat out Memphis transfer AJ Hill for the starting job.
KJ Jackson is QB1 🐗 pic.twitter.com/Ok0oPyfNNz
— Arkansas Football 🐗 (@RazorbackFB) August 23, 2026“It wasn’t an easy decision, but a very confident one we made as a staff,” Silverfield said of the QB decision, according to ESPN. “It wasn’t because of lack of talent by the others. It was a great mix of guys competing for that starting role.”
Who is KJ Jackson?Jackson is a 6-foot-4, 255-pound third-year quarterback out of Montgomery, Alabama.
The left-handed signal caller has played in six games over the past two seasons, including one start during the 2025 campaign. Last year, he completed 61.1% of his passes for 441 yards and three touchdowns during a 2-10 season that cost previous coach Sam Pittman his job.
He started the Razorbacks’ season finale, completing 11 of 17 passes for 126 yards and a touchdown in a 31-17 loss to Missouri. Jackson also ran for 14 yards on four carries.
Jackson also played extensive snaps the week before in a 52-37 loss against Texas. In that matchup, he threw for a career-high 206 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for 17 yards and another score.
When do Utah and Arkansas play?The Utes will host the Razorbacks on Sept. 12, with kickoff at 8:15 p.m. MDT. The game will be televised on ESPN.
This will be the first game ever between Utah and Arkansas.
It’s also just the second time an SEC team will play at Rice-Eccles Stadium. The Utes hosted Florida in the 2023 season opener, beating the Gators 24-11.
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