KJ Jefferson announced earlier today that he would transfer from Arkansas to UCF for his final year of college eligibility. The announcement may come as a surprise to some, considering the records and resume that Jefferson was able to put together while at Arkansas.
Yes, Arkansas limped to a 4-8 record this season, and fair or not, much of the blame is put on the quarterback, especially when he’s a three-year starter for an SEC team. But don’t let the record fool you; KJ Jefferson was a high-priority target that many schools were hoping to land.
His move goes beyond just being a one-year player for UCF. It means a lot for the team and the entire Big 12 Conference.
Big 12 Still Considered Top-Tier, at Least for KJ Jefferson
KJ Jefferson was rated as the sixth-best QB in the transfer portal according to On3 Sports, and the highest rated still available by far. There are still plenty of high-caliber teams that are looking for a QB for next year that would have welcomed Jefferson with open arms.
Yet he chose UCF.
I’m not going to pretend or be naïve enough to think that the Big 12 is on the same level as the Big 10 or SEC. Watch any episode of College Gameday or Big Noon Kickoff, and you can see what the media values.
At least in the eyes of KJ Jefferson, the opportunity and potential at UCF outweighed whatever prestige gap existed between the conferences. For him, it was worth leaving the all-mighty SEC to play for a Big 12 school entering its second year in the P5. That’s a compliment to UCF and the league.
UCF is Now a Contender
UCF was already considered a dark horse to compete next year in the Big 12. That doesn’t mean too much since Arizona, Utah, Kansas, Kansas State, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma State have legitimate chances to win the league. Still, UCF can take the dark-horse label off and put themselves right in the middle of the discussion.
Again, I’m not trying to dilute the Big 12 in any way. Still, the reality is, this past season, there was a stretch where Jefferson played against LSU, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Alabama, Miss State, and Florida in consecutive games. While they were all losses, all but the Texas A&M games were one-score games. Regarding luck, the Hogs were about as unlucky as they could be. Jefferson has been through tough stretches that he simply won’t see in the Big 12.
Do you think KJ Jefferson will be feeling much adversity when he steps onto Mountaineer Field in November in front of 60,000 fans? No offense to West Virginia, but Jefferson has been in Death Valley, the Swamp, and Bryant-Denny Stadium in front of crowds of 90,000+. Throw that on top of his five seasons already in college and you’ve got a player who will not feel too much pressure.
What about his skill? KJ Jefferson played behind a horrific offensive line this past season and it showed with him taking more sacks than ever before. But if we look at the years where he had decent protection, he played extremely well. In 2021 and 2022 Jefferson averaged 2,600 yards passing and 650 yards rushing while adding 45 touchdown passes and 15 rushing touchdowns to only 9 interceptions. In other words, if Jefferson can find his 2021/22 self, watch out!
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