KJ Jefferson, Bumper Pool reveal how far Arkansas has come over the last year
Arkansas has made some serious strides over the last year, and Sam Pittman can thank many players for their contributions — but perhaps no two athletes have been more vital to the Razorbacks than quarterback K.J. Jefferson and linebacker Bumper Pool.
Speaking with the media, the leaders on their respective sides of the football revealed how far the Razorbacks have come over the last year.
“I would say yes because of the young guys, and the strides that they’ve made from last year’s fall camp to this year’s fall camp,” Jefferson stated, speaking on if the preparation for this upcoming season has been different. “Just being able, everybody is on one accord now. Everybody’s learning. Everybody’s competing at a high level, which raises everybody’s skill set.
“So I would say just being able to — just the competition level that we’ve brought in. Guys just compete and having fun. So I would say that.”
Additionally, Pool echoed the same sentiment that Jefferson provided to the media.
“Even though there were mistakes made today on defense, we’re an a lot more explosive defense,” added Pool. “Guys being able to make bigger plays, more sacks and getting to the passer. But there’s certain things like, yes they’re mistakes now but we’ll clean those up and I like where we’re at. (Arkansas defensive coordinator) Coach [Barry] Odom likes where we’re at, but we know that we still have a lot of work to do before Game 1.”
As you can see, the Razorbacks have some great leaders helping bring them into a new era. With Sam Pittman at the helm and players like K.J. Jefferson and Bumper Pool helping to deliver his message, Arkansas is in good hands.
KJ Jefferson explains the value of having Malik Hornsby’s versatility for Arkansas
Continuing, Malik Hornsby is going to see the field one way or another this upcoming season at Arkansas. Although KJ Jefferson already has the starting quarterback job locked up, the Razorbacks still plan to use Hornsby as both a quarterback and receiver.
His receiving ability was on display at a scrimmage Saturday, after which Arkansas coach Sam Pittman revealed that Hornsby caught a couple of passes. That prompted reporters to ask Jefferson how Hornsby could fit in with the offense this upcoming season.
“Just the athleticism that he has and he brings to the table,” Jefferson said. “When two quarterbacks are on the field, you don’t know what’s going on. You don’t know who’s gonna have the ball. Just being able to create chaos for the defensive side of the ball and having a guy like Malik with his athleticism and being able to hand him the ball, he stretches the defense. Or you don’t know if he’s gonna throw the ball deep. So being able to have two quarterbacks on the field is an advantage. We like it.”
Malik Hornsby joined Arkansas in 2020 as the No. 12 quarterback in the class according to On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average. After redshirting as a true freshman, he played in seven games this past season to finish 5-of-12 passing for 46 yards. He also added 136 yards rushing and a touchdown on 24 attempts.
That speed stood out to Pittman and the offensive staff, who are trying to devise a way to get Hornsby more involved in 2022. The most likely spot for that to happen seems to be at receiver, where the Razorbacks lost three of their top four players from a year ago.