The UCF QB Kenneth Dewayne Jefferson Jr., whom you might know as KJ Jefferson, has been in the gridiron for a while now and has made some headlines over the years. A former consensus four-star prospect, Jefferson played some big games for Arkansas for five years before committing to UCF in January. Jefferson held it down for the Razorbacks, starting in 38 games and racking up 7,911 passing yards, plus another 1,876 on the ground. The dual-threat QB also stacked up 88 touchdowns. But, last season wasn’t all smooth sailing for Jefferson either as he hit a career-high with eight interceptions while Arkansas ended up with a 4-8 record. 

 The Razorback QB also joined Arkansas Hall of Fame Herbert Fishback last season go down as the second three-time team captain in the history of Arkansas football. And if you think that’s it then let me tell you that Jefferson was also the MVP of the AutoZone Liberty Bowl against Kansas in his junior year, dropping four TDs—two on the ground, two in the air. The elite quarterback also racked up 417 total yards. He even hit a career-high with 130 rushing yards in a wild 55-53 triple OT win. Jefferson, known for his impeccable accuracy and skills to perfectly place the ball on short-timing routes, has been showing off his football skills since he was a kid. As the quarterback puts on his Knights helmet and gets ready for the fall season, here’s what you need to know about the academic journey of KJ Jefferson.

Jefferson has always been a star athlete

As a young kid who grew up in Sardis, Mississippi, Jefferson started showing his prowess in athletics ever since he was in school. While he fared just fine in his academics, the quarterback was one of the star athletes at  North Panola High School in Arkansas. Carl Diffee, Jefferson’s coach at North Panola recognized the boy’s talent in gridiron and primed him for bigger games. Jefferson didn’t disappoint as he went on to become the 12th overall player in Mississippi by Rivals and ranked fourth as a dual-threat quarterback in the country by 247Sports.

Averaging a whopping 227.1 yards per game and 19.2 per catch, with 37 passing TDs, Jefferson didn’t take long to make a name for himself in the high school football circuit. He also took the Cougars to the Mississippi 3A semifinals, ending the 2018 football season with a solid 12-2 record. Jefferson wrapped up his high school career with 40 wins, 9,582 passing yards, 2,922 rushing yards, and a jaw-dropping 143 touchdowns—119 of which were through the air. The multi-dimensional athlete Jefferson also crushed it in basketball during his time at North Panola High, where he earned four varsity letters in both football and hoops.

Jefferson is a big thing at UCF

Ever since Jefferson entered the UCF, there’s been a lot of hype. Even head coach Gus Malzahn couldn’t help but be impressed with the skills of the elite QB. The Knights fans have already been comparing 6’3″ and 247 pounds Jefferson with the former UCF star alumni QB Cam Newton for his physical prowess and style of playing. At Big 12 Media Days, Malzahn stoked the hype even further and said, “Physically, he’s the closest thing to Cam that I’ve had. He’s like a running back; he throws a great deep ball. We’re a run/play-action team with an emphasis on throwing the ball vertically down the field.”

Malzahn, who worked with the prodigy 6’6″, 250-pound Newton as the offensive coordinator and QBs coach at Auburn only has high expectations from what could be his next star student, KJ Jefferson. Gearing up for a bounce-back season, UFC Knights have found a big gun in Jefferson. But will the Knights find a winning edge with the Arkansas transfer on their team? Well, only time will tell now but one thing for sure is that it’s gonna be a thrilling season for UFC.