Hogs hope to land Mississippi quarterback KJ Jefferson.
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville Coach Chad Morris and his staff hope to hear good news today when quarterback KJ Jefferson announces his college decision around 12:15 p.m.
Jefferson, 6-3, 210 pounds, of North Panola High School in Sardis, Miss., has scholarship offers from Arkansas, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Missouri, Mississippi State, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina State, Indiana and others.
He visited Fayetteville on March 12 and visited the Hogs again April 6 before making his way to Little Rock for the Red-White spring game the next day. He announced after the two-day visit that the Hogs were his leader.
CBS Sports Network national recruiting analyst Tom Lemming says landing Jefferson would be huge for the Hogs.
“He’s a four-star quarterback with terrific dual-threat ability,” Lemming said. “He’s a big kid with a live arm, exceptional running skills. He can beat you with his arm or his legs. He’s still developing, but has five-star potential.”
The Hogs made a big statement earlier this year when offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Joe Craddock, running backs coach Jeff Traylor, offensive line coach Dustin Fry, tight ends coach Barry Lunney Jr. and receivers coach Justin Stepp visited North Panola High during the contact period Feb. 1.
Lemming said the the area is known for producing top prospects.
“Panola, Mississippi, is a small town but develops big-time players at either North or South Panola,” Lemming said.
Jefferson completed 150 of 236 passes for 3,028 yards and 36 touchdowns while throwing only 3 interceptions as a junior. He rushed 139 times for 1,325 yards and 8 touchdowns while leading the Cougars to a 13-1 record and the Class 3A semifinals.
One of the top sophomore prospects in Texas is familiar with Arkansas and sees the Hogs as a top school for him.
Receiver Zeriah Beason, 6-1, 185, 4.4 seconds in the 40-yard dash, of Dallas Bishop Dunne High School received a scholarship offer from the Hogs on Tuesday to go along with 17 others from schools such as Florida, Baylor, LSU, Nebraska and Michigan State.
He’s visited Fayetteville to watch the Razorbacks in action and see former Hogs running back Rawleigh Williams, a family friend, play. He said Williams has high praise for the program.
“They should be one of the top schools I’m looking at because he gave them a good review while he was there,” Beason said. “He said there were good people there.”
Beason, who recorded 16 receptions for 225 yards and 2 touchdowns for the Falcons last year, has a 39-inch vertical jump. He has attended three Razorbacks games with the Williams family.
“I really liked the atmosphere,” said Beason, who’s being recruited by defensive tackles coach John Scott Jr. “The crowd was really excited, and just enjoyed seeing the excitement while I was at the game.
It’s gratifying for him to see all the offers arrive.
“I should really say hard work pays off because if you’ve been working so hard, eventually you’ll see this type of progress,” Beason said.
It looks like a fourth trip to Fayetteville will happen next month.
“Mostly like for a camp,” Beason said.
His cousin and teammate Marquez Beason is an outstanding receiver/defensive back who’s committed to Illinois for the 2019 class. He said that will not affect his college decision.
“My parents said I can most likely do my own decision, so it’s really up to me,” Beason said.