Tag: Malik Hornsby

Former Hogs quarterback to transfer to Houston, play for the Cougars

The rise of KJ Jefferson and athleticism of Malik Hornsby have cemented Arkansas at quarterback for the next few seasons.

The rise of [autotag]KJ Jefferson[/autotag] for Arkansas at quarterback has been magnificent for the Razorbacks football program. It’s also created some casualties.

His back-up [autotag]Malik Hornsby[/autotag], initially entered the transfer portal over the winter before pulling his name back. Hornsby has since seen time as the No. 2 and at wide receiver in an effort Arkansas is making to get him on the field more often.

Lucas Coley entered the portal and never left. On Friday, his destination was revealed as Houston.

Coley came to Arkansas as a three-start dual-threat quarterback in the Class of 2021. With Jefferson just two years ahead and Hornsby one, playing time was likely going to be difficult to find for the next couple years for Coley. He entered the portal earlier this month.

Coley played high-school football at Cornerstone Christian in San Antonio. Houston has four quarterbacks on its 2022 spring roster, but two of them are seniors, leaving Coley some potential to play in the future.

“I would like to say thank you to the University of Arkansas,” Coley wrote in an announcement declaring his entry to the portal. “Thank you to the coaching, nutrition and academic staff, and especially the welcoming Razorback fan base.”

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KJ Jefferson is among the SEC’s best quarterbacks, according to On3

The popularity surrounding KJ Jefferson continues to grow, as he ranks among the SEC’s best signal callers.

As the “talking season” stage of the College Football offseason gets closer, the hype surrounding Arkansas football continues to grow. One of the reason’s for the Razorbacks’ popularity, is quarterback [autotag]KJ Jefferson[/autotag].

So much so, that Jefferson is thought to be one of the best quarterbacks in the Southeastern Conference. Jesse Simonton of On3 released his SEC Quarterback Power Rankings on Sunday, and Jefferson ranks among the conference’s best, checking in at No. 2. Jefferson is behind Alabama’s Bryce Young for the top spot and is ranks higher than Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker, South Carolina’s Spencer Rattler, and Kentucky’s Will Levis, among others.

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Simonton believes that if Jefferson has a great season in 2022, that the sky is the limit for his future.

Jefferson is a bulldozer with limbs. The Razorbacks’ 6-3, 250-pound dual-threat talent was 3rd in the SEC in yards per attempt (9.1), had 27 total touchdowns and rushed for 664 yards. Last year was a breakout campaign for Jefferson, but he could become a true SEC star and legit NFL prospect with a monster 2022 season.

Jefferson burst onto the scene in 2021 by completing 67% of his passes for 2,676 yards and 21 touchdowns to only four interceptions. He was also 2nd on the team in rushing by carrying the football 146 times for 664 yards and scoring six touchdowns.

Arkansas looks to Jefferson to build on the success of 2021, as he will have solid receiving targets in [autotag]Jadon Haselwood[/autotag], [autotag]Ketron Jackson[/autotag], and [autotag]Malik Hornsby[/autotag], as well as a supporting cast of [autotag]Raheim Sanders[/autotag][autotag], [autotag]AJ Greene[/autotag], and [autotag]Dominique Johnson[/autotag] at the running back position.

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Arkansas’ quarterback room shrinks with this player hitting the transfer portal

Arkansas is left with just two scholarship quarterbacks on the roster after one entered the transfer portal Wednesday.

[autotag]KJ Jefferson[/autotag] is the unquestioned starting quarterback for Arkansas heading into the 2022 season. The question this spring is who would be his primary No. 2.

Three healthy players were fighting the the job, led by last year’s No. 2 [autotag]Malik Hornsby[/autotag], although Hornsby has spent a good chunk of spring practice getting reps at wide receiver, too, in order for Arkansas to use his speed and athleticism more often.

Now the job is down to Hornsby and South Florida transfer Cade Fortin after sophomore Lucas Coley announced his entry into the transfer portal Wednesday. Fortin is a walk-on.

“I would like to say thank you to the University of Arkansas,” Coley wrote in his announcement. “Thank you to the coaching, nutrition and academic staff, and especially the welcoming Razorback fan base.”

Coley was a four-star recruit out of San Antonio two years ago. He picked Arkansas over Virginia Tech, Houston, Illinois and others. He did not play during his stay at Arkansas and will transfer will four years of eligibility left.

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Arkansas Football named one of College Football’s “Most Exciting Teams” ahead of 2022 season

It seems that the national media is picking up what Arkansas fans already know… the Hogs are fun again.

We now take a break from the myriad of mock drafts to bring you something that most Arkansas fans already know… Arkansas Razorbacks football is fun again.

Although Razorback fans saw that firsthand after witnessing the first nine-plus win season since 2011, it is always exciting to see that the national media also sees the buzz surrounding Arkansas football.

Brad Crawford of 247sports recently put out a piece titled “College football’s most boring, entertaining teams ahead of 2022 season”, and Arkansas has made the list as the No. 3 most exciting team for the upcoming season.

Arkansas joins fellow SEC squads Alabama and Georgia, as well as Ohio State and Arizona State on the list. What will make Arkansas football so entertaining in 2022? Crawford explains:

The Razorbacks play an exciting brand of football under Sam Pittman and led the SEC in rushing last season. KJ Jefferson came into his own during his first full season as the Razorbacks’ starting quarterback with 2,676 yards and 21 scores through the air. Nine-win Arkansas was extremely entertaining since a quarter of its games were decided by a touchdown or less, including a 52-51 nail-biting loss to Ole Miss in October and a narrow setback at Alabama later.

The Razorbacks have also succeeded in landing talent from the Transfer Portal. Joining Haselwood are [autotag]Drew Sanders[/autotag] from Alabama, [autotag]Latavious Brini[/autotag] from Georgia, [autotag]Jordan Dominek[/autotag] from Georgia Tech, and [autotag]Landon Jackson[/autotag] from LSU.

Malik Hornsby could do everything for Arkansas in 2022

Arkansas quarterback Malik Hornsby could be Arkansas quarterback/running back/wide receiver Malik Hornsby this season.

Malik Hornsby had a desire to be the Arkansas football team’s No. 1 quarterback when arrived from Fort Bend Marshall High School a few years ago. And while Hornsby likely still harbors such a desire, the dynamic athlete is discovering his abilities can a long way to helping the Hogs elsewhere, too.

Serving as the top back-up to starting quarterback KJ Jefferson, a likely All-SEC selection, doesn’t afford the opportunity for much playing time. Noticing that, Hornsby put his name into the transfer portal at the end of the season last year. A few weeks later, it was off. He was back in the fold.

Now, months later, he’s still serving as Jefferson’s No. 2, but he’s also getting carries and catching passes, using his speed and agility to add another dimension to the Arkansas offense.

“I feel like he’s a good quarterback, but I feel like you put him at any position and he’ll execute it just by his speed and his IQ of the game,” Arkansas running back Rocket Sanders said.

Hornsby carried the ball 24 times for 136 yards almost exclusively from the quarterback spot last year in limited duty. It was enough that the Razorbacks coaching staff wanted to get him on the field in even more situations than simply playing quarterback could afford him.

Thus, this spring camp. Tom Murphy of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette wrote this Wednesday following the team’s practice on Tuesday.

On the first snap of a team period, Hornsby split out right, then motioned into quarterback as Jefferson moved left into the slot. Hornsby took a snap and kept the ball on a run-pass option play.

A few snaps later, Hornsby motioned right to left, pivoted around the tailback and ran back to the right. Jefferson faked a handoff and wound up throwing a swing pass to Hornsby, who bolted quickly around the edge and downfield. Later, Hornsby completed a pass to Jefferson.

Expect to see such things when fall rolls around, too, as the Razorbacks seek to replicate, or eclipse, their 9-4 season in 2021.

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Who’s behind KJ Jefferson at QB for Arkansas? A Spring Practice Examination

KJ Jefferson is The Man. But how does Arkansas look behind him this spring?

KJ Jefferson isn’t just one of the best returning quarterbacks in the SEC, he’s one of the best in the nation.

Arkansas’ rising junior quarterback is undoubtedly the most important player on the team this year. He threw for 2,676 yards and 21 touchdowns last year with just four interceptions. On the ground, he tallied another 664 yards rushing to lead the team and had six touchdowns, too.

Jefferson is a bona fide star. But expect the kid-glove treatment during spring ball over the next couple weeks. Arkansas does not have a ton of experienced depth behind him.

With spring practice having started on Sunday, let’s take a look at how the Hogs look before they head into summer.

Arkansas lands player to provide insurance for KJ Jefferson

Arkansas could experiment with Malik Hornsby at another position with the arrival of a new quarterback.

A few days after Malik Hornsby took his name out the transfer portal, Arkansas picked up a different quarterback from the portal Monday.

Cade Fortin, who played at South Florida last year and North Carolina before that, announced he would be joining the Razorbacks in 2022. He has two years of eligibility remaining after throwing 48 passes with the Bulls last year.

Fortin will join the team as a walk-on and provides the Razorbacks four healthy quarterbacks heading into spring practice. KJ Jefferson will return as starter for his junior season and Hornsby, a sophomore who served as his No. 2 last year, will be back, as well. They’re joined by redshirt freshman Lucas Coley. Ole Miss transfer Kade Renfro is also on the roster as a walk-on, but will miss at least spring practice recovering from ACL surgery.

Hornsby showed his athleticism last year running 24 times for 136 yards and a touchdown. It’s a skill set that could be used elsewhere, where Hornsby willing to change positions.

Fortin’s transfer in provides an experienced insurance policy for Jefferson should Hornsby and/or the coaching staff decide to experiment with a change.

Malik Horsnby Calls Audible, Will Not Transfer

One week after announcing plans to transfer, Arkansas backup quarterback Malik Hornsby will apparently remain a Razorback. He is expected to be the clear #2 quarterback heading into spring football. Redshirt freshman Lucas Coley is expected to make a strong push for playing time, too. 

One week after announcing plans to transfer, Arkansas backup quarterback Malik Hornsby will apparently remain a Razorback. He is expected to be the #2 quarterback heading into spring football. Redshirt freshman Lucas Coley is expected to make a strong push for playing time, too.

Hornsby played sparingly in relief of starter KJ Jefferson this past season, coming up big in the Arkansas’s 20-10 victory over Texas A&M after Jefferson went out with an injury. Hornsby also spelled KJ during the 24-10 Outback Bowl victory over Penn State, finishing the game with 67 yards rushing on only four carries.

WATCH: Arkansas goes up by two scores on Penn State in Outback Bowl

Rocket Sanders’ second touchdown of the game put Arkansas ahead of Penn State by two scores in Outback Bowl.

Rocket Sanders ran for his second touchdown of the game with 2:08 left in the third quarter to lift Arkansas ahead of Penn State, 24-10, in the Outback Bowl.

Sanders’ one-yard touchdown run was the capper of a 4-play, 79-yard drive that took 1:38. And like the drive that came before it when quarterback KJ Jefferson scored from eight yards, Arkansas didn’t throw a pass on the series.

Jefferson started the drive by going 34 yards on the ground up the middle. He came down hard on the sideline, though, and sat for the rest of the drive. Sanders ran for 12 on the next play, then back-up quarterback Malik Hornsby went around the left side for 32 yards to set up Sanders’ second score.

Arkansas has run for 281 yards on 43 carries through Sanders’ third-quarter touchdown. Jefferson leads individually with 108 yards.

Arkansas quarterback situation takes a big hit

An ACL injury has given Arkansas’ depth at quarterback a significant blow.

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KJ Jefferson is the unquestioned starting quarterback at Arkansas. But, as mentioned last week, having a heady back-up is awfully important, too.

The Razorbacks were getting extra work in for their reserves during the extra practices the bowl game allows and one of Jefferson’s back-ups was lost for the next several months.

Ole Miss transfer Kade Renfro damaged his anterior cruciate ligament and will miss a bulk of the next year, coach Sam Pittman said on Monday.

“Renfro just planted and a non-contact injury when he planted,” Pittman said. “He’ll be out. He had some ACL. He’ll be out for a while. I hated it for him. Just planted and gave way on him.”

Renfro would have been in contention for the No. 2 spot behind Jefferson in the spring. And while Pittman didn’t give an exact timetable for Renfro’s return, fall camp would likely be the earliest possible date he could be back on the field.

Freshman Malik Hornsby, who spent the season as the top back-up at the spot, will likely keep it for the Outback Bowl against Penn State. Come spring, freshman Lucas Coley will be his primary competition.

Renfro spent one season at Ole Miss and did not play before transferring to Arkansas. He also spent practice time at wide receiver, but as a pocket-passer, he brought an element neither Jefferson or Hornsby, who are both more dual-threat types, could.