The Arkansas Razorbacks wrapped up their season Wednesday with a 55-53 triple overtime victory over the Kansas Jayhawks in the Liberty Bowl.
Though the 7-6 record at the end of the year was not what fans wanted, there were still plenty of individual players that put together a great season.
HawgBeat decided to go through and give its postseason awards out for most valuable player, offensive, defensive and special teams player of the year and (true) freshman of the year.
Most Valuable Player – KJ Jefferson
2022 stats: 204 of 300 passing (68.0%), 2,648 passing yards, 24 passing touchdowns, 5 interceptions, 158 carries, 640 rushing yards, 9 rushing touchdowns
Jefferson was easily Arkansas’ most valuable player this season. If he was 100% healthy all season, the Hogs would likely have at least two more wins (LSU and Liberty), and maybe more than that.
A captain and the leader of the Hogs, Jefferson was graded by Pro Football Focus as the 10th best quarterback in the nation and third best in the SEC. No player was as indispensable as Jefferson for the Razorbacks this year.
His 68.0 completion percentage topped his 67.3% last season, so he now holds the No. 2 and No. 3 best season completion percentage marks in program history. His passing yards and passing touchdown marks are also both top-10 for a season in program history. His total yardage mark on the year (3,288) ranks No. 8 in program history.
With the announcement that he will return for the 2023 season in Fayetteville, Jefferson will have the chance to break a few program career records.
Offensive Player of the Year – Rocket Sanders
2022 stats: 222 carries, 1443 rushing yards, 10 rushing touchdowns, 28 catches, 271 receiving yards, two touchdowns
Had he not gone down early in the Liberty Bowl, Sanders would have had a shot at passing Alex Collins for the third most rushing yards in a season in program history. Still, Sanders’ is top 5 in program history in rushing yards in a season, yards per carry (6.5) and 100-yard rushing games (7).
Sanders put together some incredible runs and wore down defenses throughout the year. It was no coincidence that some of his best performances came in games that Arkansas won. Anytime you are a top-2 running back in the SEC, you had an extremely successful season.
For a player that was a receiver in high school, Sanders has turned into an incredible running back with a bright future.
Defensive Player of the Year – Drew Sanders
2022 stats: 103 total tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, 1 interception, 3 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery
Sanders was a close second in the MVP race, but there is no question that he was Arkansas’ defensive player of the year. The transfer from Alabama received numerous postseason honors, including a First-Team All-American nod from the Associated Press.
His 9.5 sacks are tied for the seventh-most in a single season by a Razorback and are the most since defensive end Chris Smith’s 9.5 sacks in 2012. Sanders led Arkansas in tackles in seven games and recorded double-digit tackles on six occasions.
Sanders was a Butkus Award finalist and he was a big part in Arkansas breaking the team single-season sack record — which it set in the Liberty Bowl against Kansas without Sanders. Though he played just one year with the Hogs, Sanders should go down as one of the best linebackers to play for Arkansas.
Special Teams Player of the Year – Jake Bates
2022 stats: 75 kickoffs, 4835 yards, 64.47 average, 64 touchbacks, 1 out-of-bounds, 1 successful onside kick
This was a tougher one, but Bates was as consistent as it comes as a kickoff specialist.
Bates was named First-Team All-SEC by the coaches. He kicked off 75 times for 4,835 total yards this season and led the SEC and ranked fourth nationally in kickoff average (64.5 avg).
The Texas State transfer tallied 64 touchbacks this season, good for the most of any player nationally (as of Dec. 30). His touchback percentage of 85.3% was also good for the best mark in the nation (as of Dec. 30).
Freshman of the Year – Quincey McAdoo
*Disclaimer: only considering TRUE freshmen, not redshirt freshmen*
2022 stats: 30 total tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 sack, 2 interceptions, 4 pass breakups, 1 blocked punt
The decision for this one was hard, and I also considered Rashod Dubinion and Eli Stein. My decision to choose McAdoo was based on the impact he had in the short time he was given.
McAdoo didn’t get his shot on defense until the Liberty game on Nov. 5, but he shined in that performance. The true freshman receiver-turned-corner racked up three tackles, an interception, two pass deflections and blocked a punt.
Arkansas secondary was abysmal all season long, and that showed when the group was ranked dead last in the FBS in pass yards allowed following the Liberty Bowl win over Kansas. But, if McAdoo didn’t transition to the secondary and play well, that group could’ve been much worse.
Across five games, he put together a solid stat line and had two picks. As Pittman said throughout the year, McAdoo is a natural at corner.
