UCF Transfer QB KJ Jefferson is Running Out of Gas

There is something about UCF quarterback (QB) KJ Jefferson that makes him easy to root for.

I have studied him for three seasons, and he has grown on me.

He begins his sixth season of playing college football in 2024, and he is going on his fourth offensive coordinator.

While there is something to be said for experience, it became obvious last season, he peaked in 2022.

Now he turns the page and begins anew again at UCF under head coach, Gus Malzahn, who coached former NFL QB Cam Newton when he played at Auburn back in the day.

How will this impact Jefferson?

Hopefully, it will have a positive effect on him, but there is a lot he needs to get fixed and he’s got to get his body to cooperate.

Holding the ball longer

Jefferson had this pervasive tendency spray painted on his 2023 game film to hold the ball too long as the pocket collapsed on him. Time and time again, it looked like he was getting swallowed by the pass rush. His movements in the pocket looked slower than I remember in previous film study.

Jefferson’s dropbacks were methodical and lacked urgency and as a result, the number of times he was sacked, spiked.

2021: 27

2022: 23

2023: 42

While stats don’t tell the story, they can help to confirm the game film, and in this case, they do. That’s exactly what it looked like.

Looked slower running

Arkansas has run Jefferson into the ground the past three seasons with diminishing returns.

2021: 146 carries for 664 yards (4.5 avg.)

2022: 158 carries for 640 yards (4.1 avg.)

2023: 161 carries for 447 yards (2.8 avg.)

His legs looked heavier this past season. While he did break off some longer runs, that wasn’t the norm.

Jefferson doesn’t slide much either. He runs physically, more like a running back than a quarterback, which has also taken a toll.

Robotic mechanics

When Jefferson throws he does this thing when he has to align his body with the direction he is throwing, and take an extra moment to ‘gather himself,’ before releasing. This causes him to stare longer in the direction he is throwing, and to throw without much anticipation.

Jefferson is not a natural thrower and produced inconsistent ball placement and accuracy in the short to intermediate (0-19 yards) route range.

He had an average of two passes broken up per game that I charted (16 in 8 games) and he threw eight interceptions (college career-high), after throwing five in 2022 and four in 2021.

His lower completion percentage last season was another confirmation of his film:

2021: 67.3%

2022: 68.0%

2023: 64.2%

None of this helps

If regressing wasn’t enough to contend with in 2023, Jefferson suffered an apparent knee injury during the season finale against Missouri.

Then in April, he had minor legal issues. Per SI.com, “Recent UCF football transfer and former Arkansas star quarterback KJ Jefferson was booked and released this week, and sentenced to five days of community service after turning himself in on a previous reckless driving rap. Now, after his mugshot was circulated online, fans had questions about why he was back in Fayetteville.

#1 KJ Jefferson 6-foot-3, 247 pounds

Daniel Kelly’s 2024 Summer Grade: UDFA (I wouldn’t sign him)

Projected by 0% of the NFL Draft Community to be a first-round pick as of June 5, 2024 (nflmockdraftdatabase.com)

K.J. Jefferson Is Not Cam Newton 2.0 (2021: 3 games evaluated)

KJ Jefferson Showing Signs of Improvement (2022: 6 games evaluated)

2023 game film evaluated: LSU, Alabama, Ole Miss, BYU, Mississippi State, Missouri, Florida, and Texas A&M (click to view games watched to form this evaluation)

2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Athletic, tough, and competitive low-energy prospect. Poised. Downfield focused. Inconsistent progressions. Inconsistent release times. Moderate escapability. Can lower his eyes too soon. Fails to always see defenders in passing lanes. Misses tend to sail high or get overthrown. Flashes arm strength, but tends not to have much juice on his throws. Deep ball 8/18 (44.4%). Fumble prone. A lot of designed runs. He doesn’t give up.

What to watch for during the 2024 college football season

1. Do his movements look fast in the pocket?

2. Is he getting the ball out of his hand quickly?

3. Does he stay healthy?

Daniel Kelly is a former NFL Scout with the New York Jets. He was hired on the regime which featured Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, Scott Pioli, Mike Tannenbaum, and Dick Haley. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief for First Round Mock, and has written for Sports Illustrated (Lions, Jets, and 49ers), NFL Draft Diamonds, and Yardbarker, as well as a featured guest on ESPN Radio and Fox Sports Radio. For more information about him visit his website at whateverittakesbook.com. Follow on Twitter @firstroundmock.