Sam Pittman shares health update on KJ Jefferson

Arkansas‘ season ended on Saturday with a loss at Missouri, and quarterback KJ Jefferson was lost early in the contest with an apparent leg injury.

Jefferson went down early on during a 22-yard scramble. He was tackled and had his left leg pinned beneath a Missouri defender’s body, taking him out of the contest.

Coach Sam Pittman provided an update on Jefferson following the game.

“KJ hyper-extended a knee. I don’t think that it’s going to be bad, bad,” Pittman said. “Matter of fact he was trying to come back and this, that and the other. We gave it until halftime and I didn’t want to put him; he was not going to be full speed. Didn’t want to put him back out there at that point. He said he wasn’t able to go, but he certainly tried to go.”

KJ Jefferson was a three-year starter for the Razorbacks, though he never quite got rolling during his senior season in 2023.

The veteran from Mississippi finished the regular season throwing for 2,107 yards and 19 touchdowns, against eight interceptions. He also ran for 447 yards and two touchdowns.

All of those numbers were worse than his previous two seasons.

Across his five-year career, Jefferson threw for 7,923 yards with 67 touchdowns and 18 interceptions, while also rushing for 1,876 yards and 21 touchdowns.

KJ Jefferson could, in theory, return to school for another season, but he posted an Instagram story prior to the Missouri game that said “Last One.”

Pittman addressed that post after the game, saying he’s not sure exactly what it means just yet.

“I don’t know. I really don’t,” Pittman said, according to ESPN Arkansas. “We haven’t sat down and spoke about it. In all honesty if he put it out there, it probably means he’s had all of the college or all of the Arkansas he wants.”