FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas football and quarterback KJ Jackson are on similar trajectories.
After miserable starts to the 2026 season, the Razorbacks (3-4, 1-3 SEC) and their starting quarterback have made strides in recent weeks. Together, they nearly upset Tennessee, and they both played their best game of the fall last week in a 31-21 win over Vanderbilt.
According to head coach Ryan Silverfield, there are a variety of factors contributing to Jackson's uptick in play.
"Taking steps in the right direction every single game," Silverfield said during the Arkansas open week. "A lot of it is whether it's trusting the progression, trusting the eyes, making great decisions with the football, taking the checkdowns, throwing it away, not sitting back in the pocket when it's not there."
Throughout the year, Silverfield has demanded better decision-making from Jackson. The head coach craves checkdowns when downfield throws are not open, and Arkansas wants the signal-caller to do a better job of going through his reads.
Silverfield saw better play in those departments against the Commodores. It turned out to be his best statistical game of the year.
Even without star wide receiver Chris Marshall for the entire second half, Jackson was 21 of 31 for 251 yards. The yardage total was a career-best against a Power 4 opponent, and for the first time this season, the lefty did not commit a turnover.
That's another parallel between Jackson and the entire program. Arkansas' zero giveaways vs. Vanderbilt played a big role in its first SEC victory in two years. Winning the turnover battle continues to be a focal point for Silverfield, and the Hogs delivered during the road trip to Nashville.
No stat looms larger from the breakthrough than Jackson's rushing output.
The quarterback recorded 11 carries for 58 yards and a touchdown. His previous season-high in yards was 34 against Utah, and while he had 13 rushes in the victory over Tulsa, three of those were sacks.
The Arkansas offensive line did not allow a single sack against Vanderbilt, and Jackson's threat on the ground coincided with the Razorbacks' best rushing performance of the year.
"Challenged (Jackson) this week, go get five yards on a run," Silverfield said. "I think he did a better job of escaping north and south, and continued to trust the pocket."
On the season, Jackson has thrown for 1,444 yards, seven touchdowns and four interceptions. He has 140 yards and three scores on the ground.
Those are modest numbers, and his quarterback rating of 124.1 ranks second-to-last among SEC starters. There's still plenty of room for improvement.
But Arkansas sees signs of growth, and last week's win was affirmation for Jackson.
"I think the confidence has just come from how we've been working every single week, week in and week out, and Coach Silverfield really instilled that in us," he said. "Keep your head down, keep doing the little things correct, and sooner or later, it's going to pay off."
Jackson Fuller covers Arkansas football, basketball and baseball for the Southwest Times Record, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at jfuller@usatodayco.com or follow him @jacksonfuller16 on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Ryan Silverfield assesses KJ Jackson at midpoint of Arkansas football season
