CJ Brown’s versatility on field will help Arkansas in 2026
Arkansas has several returning starters on this year’s roster, and wide receiver CJ Brown is stepping up as a leader in his third season.
Brown has seen the field in each of his first two seasons with the Razorbacks. He didn’t see it often in 2024, and when he did he struggled. Dropped passes and a back-breaking fumble against Texas were what stood out the most.
As a sophomore, though, his role increased. His ability to play both on the boundary and in the slot meant he had more versatility, which is something that has carried over to this offseason. In the spring game, he played in the slot, where he lined up when he snagged a 65-yard touchdown pass from KJ Jackson that proved to be the winning touchdown for the Red team.
”That’s a play that me and CJ have been running since we stepped on the college together,” Jackson said after the spring game. “It’s funny, we were on the sideline, and we needed a play. We needed a big play. We hadn’t had one all game. 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 touch of 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.”
That versatility is a credit to Brown’s intelligence on the field, according to head coach Ryan Silverfield.
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“We want wide receivers that don’t have to line up just at one spot,” Silverfield said. “Whether you want to call it the slot, the X, he’s going to to be able to have the ability to play two wide receiver spots for us on the field, which is huge, right? The opportunities to get on the field. I think if you’re a wide receiver and say, Hey, I only know this spot, man, you’re really limiting what you can do, right? Knock on wood, hopefully we don’t have too many nicks and injuries during the season. But ultimately, the more positions you can play, the better off you are.
“That speaks to his intelligence, and that goes all the way back to the fact that he’s willing to grind and understand what we’re all about is huge.”
Brown isn’t the oldest wide receiver in the room — that’s reserved for 29-year-old Monte Harrison — but he is the most productive in regards to how he’s produced in a Razorback uniform. The Bentonville alum snagged 28 passes for 319 yards and two touchdowns last year and started 10 of the 12 games he appeared in.
His work ethic isn’t slowing down, either. Both Jackson and head coach Ryan Silverfield sung Brown’s praises of how he goes about his business, with the former saying Brown “knows ball now,” and the latter talking about how hard he works.
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“He’s 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. You’ve 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.”
When Silverfield got the job at Arkansas, Brown was one of the first guys that he met with. The talent is there; you don’t see the field as a true freshman without it. But there’s still things that he needs to work on.
“For CJ, it’s going to be consistency,” Silverfield said. “I think just understanding, ‘hey, what I need to do day-in and day-out. I’ve 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? And I think for all of our wide receivers, that’s my challenge, right? Like, I frankly, don’t give a darn if you’re making one good play, that’s great. But what else are you doing? Because if the rest of the time it’s a missed assignment, a possible loaf, not blocking, that’s not good enough.”
The Razorbacks will have a few weeks off after the spring and return to campus for summer conditioning ahead of fall camp and, in turn, the start of the 2026 football season against North Alabama on Sept. 5.
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