Former Arkansas QB KJ Jefferson reportedly benched by UCF in favor of freshman
Former Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson has been benched by UCF in favor of freshman EJ Colson ahead of the Knights’ matchup against the Cincinnati Bearcats, according to a report from Pete Nakos of On3 Sports.
Jefferson, formerly considered to be one of the best quarterbacks in the SEC before he ended up transferring, has had a bit of a fall from grace this season. Injury issues have played a role in Jefferson’s performance, but this decision seems to come down to a lot more than that.
He finished out the loss to Florida on Oct. 5 going 12-for-22 passing with 165 passing yards and 1 touchdown. Through five games this season, Jefferson has completed 59.3% of his passes for 1,012 yards with 7 touchdowns and 4 interceptions.
UCF is starting EJ Colson at quarterback today against Cincinnati, a source tells @On3sports.https://t.co/Gs4Or7v0gM
— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos_) October 12, 2024
Colson will now have a chance to prove himself in Jefferson’s place, set to see his first-ever live game action as a true freshman. He was originally listed as a 3-star prospect out of Cedar Grove High School in Ellenwood, Georgia, ranked by 247Sports as the No. 64 quarterback in the Class of 2025 and the No. 126-ranked overall prospect in the state of Georgia. He originally committed to UCF on July 6, 2023.
Cincinnati and UCF are set to kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET.