It was about three hours before kickoff when I walked into the lobby of the Peabody Hotel to pick up my Liberty Bowl credentials and parking pass. Just minutes after crossing the Mississippi River, I waded through wall-to-wall fans to the concierge desk.
It was just after turning around with my packet that I almost bumped into a mountain of a man. I stood chin to chest with KJ Jefferson as he posed for pictures with fans.
Jefferson was taking his time, handling all requests, while heading to the team bus parked just a few feet away. If I didn’t know him, I’d have thought I was standing next to a defensive tackle, just a huge person.
He’s huge in every way. He’s not just a big person. He’s huge in the way Arkansas does things on offense. I’d visited by phone just a few minutes earlier with Pat Jones, radio host in Tulsa on the Sports Animal. He asked if there was one player to watch to know if it was going right for Arkansas.
I didn’t hesitate. It’s KJ Jefferson. He’s a generational talent. With Jefferson, Arkansas always has a chance. Defenders fall off him when they go for a sack. They think they have Jefferson. No, he has them.
Read the full column from Hogs+ Senior Contributor Clay Henry as he looks forward to KJ Jefferson firmly entrenched as this team’s leader — only on Hogs+
