What Chad Morris said about Arkansas’ QBs after first fall practice
By SDS Staff
Published:
Arkansas is one of a few SEC teams with a legitimate quarterback battle during fall camp.
SMU transfer Ben Hicks, who was at Arkansas during spring practice, leads the competition at this point. However, Chad Morris hadn’t seen Texas A&M transfer Nick Starkel prior to the start of fall camp. The Hogs also welcomed freshman KJ Jefferson to the competition.
Morris met with the media Friday evening following the first day of fall camp, and the first question was his initial impressions of the quarterbacks.
“I was very impressed,” Morris said of the quarterbacks. “No. 1, they were all working together. They were very accurate and communicating when something wasn’t right or they didn’t like a look. They were talking and talking to each other. I was very impressed. I thought the ball was jumping out of their hands extremely well. I thought we were, again, accurate. We pushed the ball down the field early in practice. We challenged them late in practice in some team settings and we hit some deep balls down the sidelines. Some guys did. Day 1 I thought was really well — really good.”
Morris was then asked specifically to comment on newcomers Starkel and Jefferson.
“Yeah, dealing with Nick and KJ, really their first time out there in a setting with the whole team, for a first practice, I was pleased,” Morris said Friday evening. “I was really pleased with KJ. I thought that he definitely — you could tell he had been working this summer, as Nick, and grasping our install for the day. I thought it came very natural to KJ, especially on some of our zone reads. I thought he looked really comfortable doing that. Now, there’s techniques and some intricate details we’ve got to get. Same way with Nick, getting Nick to understand what the answers are out on the edge if the ball is pulled. But I was pleased with both of them. I think they’re both well ahead. I knew Nick would be. I thought KJ was well ahead of where I thought he would be, especially for Day 1.”
The quarterback competition will come down to Starkel and Hicks, with Hicks having the early upper hand having gone through spring practice and been in Chad Morris’ system at SMU. However, Starkel has strong experience having transferred from Texas A&M.
It’ll be fun watching this competition play out.
You can watch Morris’ interview below via Whole Hog Sports’ YouTube channel:
Saturday Down South reports and comments on the news around the Southeastern Conference as well as larger college football topics.
