5 things to know about Arkansas football backup QB Malik Hornsby

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas football is starting a third different quarterback in its game against LSU: redshirt sophomore Malik Hornsby.

Quarterback KJ Jefferson has been dealing with soreness in his throwing shoulder and bruising in his clavicle. He was limited in practice ahead of Week 10 but played the full game against Liberty. He was again limited ahead of the matchup with No. 7 LSU (No. 7 AP/No. 8 AFCA coaches).

So it will be Hornsby starting for Arkansas (5-4, 2-3 SEC) against LSU (7-2, 5-1). Here are five things to know about the backup QB.

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Saturday is his first career start

Hornsby didn't start Arkansas' game against Mississippi State, but he did finish it.

When Jefferson was out with a concussion, Pittman and his staff opted to start Cade Fortin, who had supplanted Hornsby as backup based on performance in practice. Fortin's start in Starkville didn't go as planned, and Hornsby came in at quarterback late in the first quarter.

He threw for 234 yards on 8-of-17 passes, along with a touchdown and two interceptions. On the ground, he racked up 114 rushing yards.

His speed turned heads in Outback Bowl win

Hornsby entered the game late in Arkansas' Outback Bowl win over Penn State. Jefferson had been injured, and the Razorbacks had to turn to their backup.

Hornsby did not attempt a pass in the bowl, but he impressed with his legs. He showed off his speed and ran for 67 yards on four carries in the final three minutes of the game.

He almost left Arkansas

Hornsby entered the transfer portal in January 2022, less than a week after his Outback Bowl performance. But one week later, he withdrew his name from the portal.

It was a good thing for the Razorbacks. Without him, Arkansas would have had a serious lack of depth at quarterback. Of the three players behind him on the depth chart, one had suffered a torn ACL in December, and the other had graduated. Arkansas didn't sign any quarterbacks in its 2022 recruiting class.

Arkansas experimented with him at receiver

Pittman later revealed that he had given Hornsby a condition when the redshirt sophomore decided to return rather than transfer. He wanted Hornsby to try his hand at wide receiver.

In preseason practices, Hornsby ran with both the quarterbacks and the wideouts. He ran receiving routes on seven plays this season, according to Pro Football Focus, but that stopped with his performance at quarterback against Mississippi State. After that game, Pittman announced Hornsby would be staying at QB going forward.

He went to the same high school as a famous Razorback

Hornsby is an alumnus of Thurgood Marshall High School in Missouri City, Texas. There, he became the No. 5 dual-threat quarterback in the country and No. 14 player in the state of Texas in the class of 2020, per 247Sports.

Another well-known Razorback came from Marshall: Running back Knile Davis. Davis graduated from Marshall over a decade before Hornsby, back in 2009. He spent four seasons at Arkansas, and his sophomore year was his best. He rushed for 1,282 yards during the 2010 season.

He was selected in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs and was around the league until 2018.

Christina Long covers the Arkansas Razorbacks for the Southwest Times Record and USA TODAY Network. You can follow her on Twitter @christinalong00 or email her at clong@swtimes.com.

This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Arkansas football starts backup QB Malik Hornsby: 5 things to know