Sam Pittman shares expectations for KJ Jefferson in 2023

With some of the SEC’s elite quarterbacks from a season ago like Bryce Young, Stetson Bennett, and Hendon Hooker now starting their NFL careers, there’s now room for a new top dog at the position in the conference. Could that player be Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson?

Jefferson returns to Fayetteville with plenty of experience and the tools to lead the Razorbacks to new heights, and at SEC spring meetings, head coach Sam Pittman revealed what he’s expecting from his quarterback with the season right around the corner.

“You know we’ve got a new offense, he’s done a nice job of learning it in spring ball,” Pittman said. “I think just continuing to improve his leadership, he’s gotten himself in great shape, but he is our guy. He’s our leader on both sides of the ball, he’s the guy.”

Jefferson has been the Razorbacks’ starter for the past two seasons, lighting it up through the air and on the ground for Arkansas’ offensive attack. He helped lead the Razorbacks to their best season in a decade in 2021 behind his 2,676 yards in the air, 664 rushing yards, and 27 total touchdowns.

He followed that by matching his production in 2022, finding the end zone 33 total times despite missing some time battling through injuries.

What he does on the field for Arkansas is undeniable and jaw-dropping at times, but Pittman continued to emphasize how important he is to the team as a leader heading into his senior season.

“We have great leadership on defense, great leadership on offense, but he’s the man on both sides. He’s got to own that, which he’s doing, and just to continue to get better and he’s got such a work ethic that that’s what he’s going to do,” Pittman said.

Arkansas hired former Maryland offensive coordinator Dan Enos this offseason, and it will definitely be intriguing to see if he can take Jefferson’s play to even greater heights this season in his final year with the Razorbacks.

Sam Pittman calls for Congress to help with NIL guidelines

There are a lot of opinions that have emerged this week from the annual SEC spring meetings about the current state of name, image and likeness in college football and what kinds of potential NIL guidelines might better serve the sport.

Many SEC coaches have coalesced around a pretty common talking point.

“I think Congress is going to have to step in and help us with NIL,” Arkansas coach Sam Pittman said. “I don’t think anybody can, because we’ve got to combine because different states have different rules. At some point we’ve got to combine so we can figure some of this out.”

The variance in state legislation in terms of NIL guidelines right now is significant.

Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz has been vocal in defending himself and his program after coming under fire for his state having one of the more accommodating NIL policies. Drinkwitz has simply described it as a competitive advantage built in by the state.

Other coaches have more quietly bemoaned their state’s restrictions, which can put them behind the eight ball. Thus the push from coaches like Pittman for more uniformity and more concrete NIL guidelines.