2024 QB KJ Jackson commits to Arkansas Razorbacks: 'It's a dream come true'
About a month ago Montgomery (Ala.) St. James School three-star quarterback KJ Jackson narrowed his list of top schools down to two. Those two schools happened to be Arkansas and North Carolina.
After weeks of back-and-forth between the two, Jackson made his mind up. The latest trip to Arkansas proved to be the deciding factor as Jackson announced his commitment to the Razorbacks Sunday afternoon.
“At the end of the day, the biggest thing for me was being around a winning culture and winning college football games,” Jackson, the No. 489 overall prospect in the On3 Industry Ranking, told On3. “You can tell that Coach (Sam) Pittman’s biggest goal is to win.”
From the fans, the family culture, how they practice and how the coaches interact with each of the players, the Razorbacks checked off each box in what Jackson was looking for.
On top of everything the school has to offer, playing at Arkansas also lets Jackson live out a childhood dream of playing in the SEC.
“It’s a dream come true,” Jackson said. “Coming from the southeast, I think every kid has aspirations of playing some type of sport in the SEC. Being able to have that chance, God really blessed me with that opportunity.”
Dan Enos played a huge factor in Jackson’s final decision
He noted that the unity in Arkansas’ quarterback room really appealed to him. He was able to talk to several of them on his latest visit and said that each of them had nothing but good things to say about new Arkansas offensive coordinator Dan Enos.
Hearing what the Razorbacks currents quarterbacks had to say about Enos only helped their cause in Jackson’s eyes. One of the biggest reasons he was so high on Arkansas was because of Enos who extended him an offer shortly after he was hired back at Arkansas in January.
Jackson said that the two had a meeting during this last visit where the two sat and talked for an hour and a half and that conversation fully sold Jackson on Arkansas.
“I’m from Alabama so I grew up a big Alabama fan and attended a camp there when I was in fifth or sixth grade,”Jackson said. “Coach Enos was at Alabama then coaching guys like Tua, Jalen Hurts and Mac Jones. He developed all of those guys and now they’re in the NFL.
“His resume speaks for itself and I loved what I saw from him after sitting in that meeting with him. Being able to see everything from a first-hand point of view instead of the final product and seeing the steps it takes to get there was important.”
From one KJ to another
Having the first name as current Arkansas starting quarterback KJ Jefferson, Jackson knew the comparisons would start coming his way as soon as he stepped on campus.
Not only do the two have the same first name, they’re both 6-foot-3, built the same way and play the same type of game. Aside from Jefferson being right handed and Jackson being left handed, the two are similar in several ways.
Following in the footsteps of someone like Jefferson would be a tough task for any new quarterback. For Jackson though, it’s something he’ll do with pride.
“I heard a lot of it when I walked into the building,” Jackson said. “I heard a lot of KJ 2.0 and a lot of the KJ things. Coach Enos mentioned it but also mentioned that every quarterback is different and I might be compared to him but I’ll be my own player at the end of the day and successful in my own way.
“I love all of the KJ comparisons because he is a great player and will likely get a shot at the NFL with Coach Enos working with him. It’s an honor to be compared to a player like that.”