Despite the team’s overall struggles this season, Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson is in the midst of a record-setting campaign in Fayetteville. The senior preseason All-SEC selection is climbing his way up a number of historical categories to establish himself as one of the greatest Razorbacks of all time.
With the victory over Florida in the Swamp on Saturday, Jefferson earned his 19th career win as a starting quarterback, moving him ahead of the late Ryan Mallett, who finished his career with 18 wins in 2009-10.
Jefferson now sits at seventh on the all-time wins list, approaching Tom Jones, who finished with 21, from 1980-82. This list is compiled solely of starting quarterbacks and does not include games that a player may have come in and played.
Jefferson already holds a number of the program’s all-time records, including a 65.4 completion percentage. He is responsible for 85 total career touchdowns, recently breaking Matt Jones’ previous record of 77, while also moving ahead of Jones with 9,339 combined yards, including 7,618 passing and 1,721 rushing. His 599 pass completions is also the most by a Razorback quarterback. Jefferson’s 64 TD passes is tied atop the list with Brandon Allen, and he is just 148 yards from breaking Tyler Wilson’s record of 7,765 career passing yards.
Granted, there are a number of other outstanding achievements by former Arkansas quarterbacks that have also personified greatness. Such as Fred Marshall being the only Razorback starter to win a national championship, in 1964, while Quinn Grovey remains the only QB to lead the program to two conference championships, winning back-to-back Southwest Conference titles in 1988 and 1989.
Joe Ferguson is still the highest drafted Hog to play quarterback in the NFL, selected by Buffalo with the 57th overall pick in 1973 – Matt Jones was drafted as a wide receiver in the first round (21st overall) by Jacksonville in 2005. Greg Thomas also blazed a new trail in 1985, when Head Coach Ken Hatfield named him the first black starting quarterback at Arkansas.
There were many other great individual achievements, as well, including Mallett’s school-record 3,869 passing yards in 2010. That was followed the next season by Tyler Wilson’s 510-yard single-game performance in a win over Texas A&M. Brandon Allen threw for a school-record 7 touchdown passes against Mississippi State in 2015, and was also the first quarterback to win consecutive bowl games – which Jefferson could still break this season with his third bowl victory in a row.
Here is a list of the Top 7 winningest starting quarterbacks in Razorback history: