3 reasons Arkansas football could make surprise playoff push in 2022

1. Heisman darkhorse KJ Jefferson leads loaded offense

When a team loses a guy like Treylon Burks, it’s tough to say it’s going to be loaded but Arkansas has enough firepower returning to make that possible.

The Razorbacks had just the 11th-best passing offense in the SEC last season and I could see that improving drastically despite losing Burks. Jefferson is a Heisman darkhorse at quarterback after passing for 2,676 yards and 21 touchdowns with just four picks while also leading the team in rushing with 664 yards and six scores.

Jefferson will have plenty of talented targets to work with, including potential breakout receiver Ketron Jackson Jr. He is considered one of the top breakout candidates in the entire SEC. Jadon Haselwood has transferred in and Warren Thompson is back for a senior year after catching 19 passes for 304 yards and two scores. Trey Knox will be one of the better tight ends in the league.

On top of that, the Razorbacks bring in two four-star receivers who could contribute early and are loaded in the cops.

The run game finished No. 1 in the SEC last season and should be really good yet again with four of the top five rushers returning — three of which had 500-plus yards.

This offense is going to be tough to stop and it should finish even higher than last year’s unit which was No. 27 nationally.