Arkansas Football's Most Important Players for 2026: No. 11, CJ Brown

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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 Jacksonsaid 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.

"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."

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, 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?'

"For all of our wide receivers, that's my challenge. 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."

Razorbacks' Most Important Players in 2026

No. 11 CJ Brown
No. 12 Sutton Smith
No. 13Khmori House
No. 14KJ Jackson
No. 15AJ Hill
No. 16Steven Soles
No. 17Jamari Hawkins
No. 18Ismael Cisse
No. 19La'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

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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/arkansas as Arkansas Football's Most Important Players for 2026: No. 11, CJ Brown.

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