Time after time in the 2021 football season, KJ Jefferson made something out of nothing. The 6-foot-3, 247-pound was a specialist at shedding would-be sack artists and tacklers.
Heading into 2022, though, Jefferson is down about 10 pounds. The weight drop shouldn’t change his strength though, but instead make him even harder to bring down.
“I’m flying around a lot better,” he said. “I’m a lot more confident in myself, just being able to get out and make plays with my legs. Just being able to knock some of the extra weight off and lean up a little bit.”
Jefferson ran for 664 yards and six touchdowns last year. Only Florida’s Emory Jones had more yards from the quarterback spot in the SEC and only Ole Miss’ Matt Corral had more touchdowns from the same. Neither is in the SEC anymore as Jones transferred to Arizona State and Corral is in the NFL.
Jefferson said the 240 pounds is the weight at which he wants to play, too. It won’t only help him upfield, but he can more easily evade pass rushers, too. Arkansas allowed 30 sacks last year.
“I’m hoping I shed a couple more pounds before the first game. That’s my mindset going into it. So each and every day I’m attacking it,” Jefferson said.