si
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.
Arkansas enters 2026 searching for dependable offensive playmakers, and Bentonville native C.J.
Brown appears ready to become exactly that.
The 6-foot-1, 195 pound wide receiver found himself in the starting lineup for an offense that was one of the more explosive in the country.
Brown did his part in posting 28 receptions for 319 yards and three touchdowns last season, which helped him finish No.
4 on the team in receiving yards and had at least one catch in 11-of-12 games a season ago.
With all that success offensively last season, it still led to 10 consecutive losses to close out the season, which all but washes out how good the unit truly was.
As Brown returns as the leading receiver for the second straight year, he carries the weight of helping Arkansas return to some sort of stability as a leader on offense alongside his friend and quarterback KJ Jackson.
He's had the opportunity to put his growth on display after posting three catches for 83 yards and one touchdown that went 65 yards for a touchdown in Arkansas' Red-White Spring Game.
While Brown has mostly played along the boundary during the spring, he lined up at the slot during the showcase, proving he could line up anywhere and potentially make a difference.
"That's a play that me and CJ have been running since we stepped on college together," Arkansas quarterback KJ Jackson said after the scrimmage.
"It's funny, we were on the sideline, and we just needed a play, we needed a big play.
We hadn't had one all game, and CJ stepped up and played a big role.
"He switched positions, he was in the slot today, so he did a really good job.
It's a big tell to his understanding of the offense because he played the A in the slot the first time all spring today, and he made plays for us.
He's a playmaker, so get him in space and just get the ball to him and see if he can run and score a touchdown for us." Brown averaged just over 11 yards per catch last season.
He was part of a receiving corps in which six players with at least 12 receptions averaged enough yards per catch to move the chains.
Having a dependable target in the passing game will be key for whoever wins the quarterback battle between Jackson and redshirt freshman AJ Hill, who comes over from Memphis.
"It's been a really good spring," Brown said following the spring game.
"Obviously I know KJ but getting to know [redshirt freshman quarterback AJ Hill] more, just getting better chemistry with both of them.
On that play, it was kind of just a deep crossing route, and it was open, and KJ made a good throw, and then thankfully I was able to finish it off." Brown was able to sneak on the field as a freshman in 2024, but dealt with various issues to his game.
However, he worked to put that all behind him while seeking personal improvement for the good of his team.
"When he first came up here, he was dropping a few passes his freshman year," Jackson said.
"He had a few drops, had that fumble.
But since that, he's taken it with a grain of salt and he's had a chip on his shoulder too." What Coaches Are Saying When first-year coach Ryan Silverfield arrived in Fayetteville, he took notice of the effort Brown put forward in his game, but made sure one of the centerpieces worked, but still took care of himself in the process.
Hes one of those guys that, even during the downtime of the winter break when everybody went home, I had to run him out of the indoor sometimes, Silverfield said.
Like, you gotta go take care of your body.
Youve you had a heck of a season.
You did some good things, but you got to take care of yourself.
But he loves to work.
He loves the grind.
He shows leadership abilities as well.
Brown took to that message from his new coach literally, staying late at the football facility and putting his leadership efforts to work.
Now, it's up to him to apply what he's learned from offseason work and coaching by being in the picture for more than just a couple of plays each game.
For CJ, its going to be consistency, Silverfield said.
I think just understanding, hey, what I need to do day-in and day-out.
Ive told some of those wide receivers, they have a big play that shows up on social media, but where the hell are you on the other 50 plays?' "For all of our wide receivers, thats my challenge.
Like, I frankly, dont give a darn if youre making one good play, thats great.
But what else are you doing? Because if the rest of the time its a missed assignment, a possible loaf, not blocking, thats not good enough.
Razorbacks' Most Important Players in 2026 No.
11 CJ Brown No.
12 Sutton Smith No.
13 Khmori House No.
14 KJ Jackson No.
15 AJ Hill No.
16 Steven Soles No.
17 Jamari Hawkins No.
18 Ismael Cisse No.
19 La'Khi Roland No.
20: David Oke No.
21: Christian Harrison No.
22: Jamonta Waller No.
23: Charlie Collins No.
24: Miguel Mitchell No.
25: Caleb Bell No.
26: Donovan Faupel No.
27: Reginald Vaughn No.
28: Maddox Lassiter No.
29: Ja'Quavion Smith No.
30: Danny Beale Sign up to our free newsletter, and follow us on Facebook, X (Twitter) for the latest news.
Jacob Davis is the Publisher for Arkansas Razorbacks on SI, with a decade of experience covering college athletics.
He has previously worked at Rivals, Saturday Down South, SB Nation and hosted podcasts with Bleav Podcast Network where his show was a finalist for podcast of the year.
Follow jacobdaviscfb.