Arkansas football: Offseason Depth Chart – Quarterbacks
Arkansas football enters the 2023 season with plenty of new faces across the roster and the coaching staff.
One of the biggest shake-ups in the offseason was offensive coordinator Kendal Briles leaving Fayetteville for TCU and being replaced by “quarterback whisperer” Dan Enos. Enos, returning for his second stint as Arkansas’ offensive coordinator, inherits one of the better quarterback rooms since Sam Pittman took over at Arkansas in 2020.
KJ Jefferson is back for one last ride leading the Arkansas offense, but this year he will have some reliable depth behind him. Morrilton (Ark.) native Jacolby Criswell returns to the natural state after spending three seasons at North Carolina as a back-up. Cade Fortin is the back for another season and true freshman Malachi Singleton rounds out a pretty talented quarterback room.
As we head into the summer portion of the Arkansas football’s offseason, here’s a closer look at each quarterback and the projected depth chart for next season.
Starter: KJ Jefferson
Class: Redshirt Senior
Measurables: 6-3, 246 lbs.
Last Season: 2,648 yards passing, 24 TD, 6 INT, 68.0 CMP%, 640 yards rushing, 9 TD
2023 Outlook: KJ Jefferson is back for another season leading the Arkansas offense under a new offensive coordinator, Dan Enos. Following an impressive 2021 campaign, Jefferson’s 2022 season failed to live up to the preseason hype. Injuries caused the Sardis (Miss.) native to miss two games and affected his play throughout the year.
Despite those struggles, Jefferson still managed to put up impressive numbers as he threw 2,648 yards with a 4.0 TD/INT ratio – the best in the SEC. He’s continued to slim down this offseason and has Dan Enos helping him with his development now. While the Enos hire was met with some mixed reviews, he has experience in getting the most out of his quarterbacks.
Enos will run a pro-style offense, but it won’t exactly be what it was during his last tenure in Fayetteville under Bret Bielema. We saw during the Spring Game how the Enos offense has evolved to include some of the RPO elements that were prevalent in Kendal Briles’ offense. Jefferson looked extremely comfortable and – most importantly – healthy.
If Jefferson can stay healthy and Enos can replicate some of the magic he used in 2018 with Jalen Hurts, it could be a very special season.
Backup: Jacolby Criswell
Class: Redshirt Junior
Measurables: 6-1, 224 lbs.
Career: 11 games, 204 passing yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 58.1 CMP%,133 rushing yards, 1 TD
2023 Outlook: Without Jefferson, Arkansas’ offense was downright awful last season. The Razorbacks couldn’t move the ball with an inexperienced Malik Hornsby or Cade Fortin. Enter Jacolby Criswell.
Criswell spent his first three seasons of eligibility at North Carolina where he has been a backup to Sam Howell – who is now in the NFL – and Drake Maye. Because North Carolina has had a talented quarterback room the last three-to-four seasons, Criswell didn’t really get much of an opportunity to showcase his ability. However, when he’s played he has shown himself a very capable signal-caller.
The Arkansas native returns to his home-state to give the Razorbacks a steady and experienced option behind Jefferson. If something were to happen to Jefferson this season, having Criswell will give Arkansas a more reliable solution compared to 2022.
3rd Team: Cade Fortin
Class: Sixth-year Senior
Measurables: 6-3, 215 lbs.
Last Season: Three games, 135 passing yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, 48.3 CMP%, 17 rushing yards
2023 Outlook: In 2022, Cade Fortin arrived at Arkansas after struggling to find a fit the previous four seasons at North Carolina and South Florida. Fortin was thrown into the fire in week 6, where he was given the start for an injured KJ Jefferson on the road against Mississippi State. The senior struggled, only lasting a few possessions before getting benched for Malik Hornsby.
Fortin would eventually get a chance during the LSU game in November where he went 8-13 for 92 passing yards and 1 TD, but it was obvious that he wasn’t the answer as Jefferson’s backup. He’s looked much better throughout this spring, but he’s still firmly behind Jefferson and Criswell on the depth chart.
4th Team: Malachi Singleton
Class: True Freshman
Measurables: 6-1, 232 lbs.
2023 Outlook: Malachi Singleton is a consensus four-star prospect from Kennesaw, Georgia and enrolled early this spring to go through practices with Arkansas. Singleton was rated the No. 5 dual-threat quarterback nationally by Rivals.com. He chose Arkansas over Georgia, Louisville, Miami (FL), Virginia, Virginia Tech, West Virginia among others.
Singleton has the size and athleticism to be a true dual-threat option in the SEC with the right development. Like Jefferson, Singleton looks almost like tight end or linebacker but has an incredible arm and elusiveness to frustrate opposing defenses. He likely won’t get a lot of opportunities this season, barring something catastrophic, but he’s a proven winner who can thrive at Arkansas and follow a similar path to success as Jefferson.
