FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — When asked about his position with the Razorbacks, Rafe Peavey never wavered.
“I’ve been committed here since my sophomore year of high school,” he said. "I’ve never had any doubt."
It's been documented that the Hogs are a family affair for the Peaveys.
Rafe's father, Jack, coached the Razorbacks linesmen in the early nineties. His mother, Rachael, and uncle are among a handful of relatives who are quite familiar with athletics in Fayetteville. Peavey himeslf would don Razorback red in kindergarten.
It feels as much like home as anywhere.
“I’ve been around Arkansas my whole life. I know this is the right place for me.”
The Bolivar High School graduate pushed through two coaching changes after originally saying yes to Bobby Petrino, and has been finding his way in Bret Bielema's system since setting foot on campus.
“Ever year it slows down and I do feel more comfortable out there.”
He watched as the offense surpassed many expectations in 2015, averaging just shy of 36 points per game in the face of mounting injuries.
That perspective, and Branon Allen's graduation, fueled a spring-long battle for the starting quarterback job. His younger brother, Austin, ultimately won the job, but credited the push from Peavey and fellow signal callers Ricky Town and Ty Storey with helping him get there.
"Rafe has improved at every practice," Bielema said. "He throws the ball well on the run. He can make some things happen when the play breaks down. He delivers a really nice ball and I think our guys would tell you he was able to do that all spring."
While running with the second unit during last week's Red & White game, the redshirt sophomore completed 7 of 10 pass attempts for 60 yards. He was also clocked with seven rushes, oftentimes dancing behind a collapsing pocket.
"He likes to flush to the left and right, and in our system, we want him to flush up. He'll tell you he's worked on it and gotten better. We build our pocket in a 'U' to get our quarterbacks to step up and throw. You saw (Brandon Allen) do it time and time again. We'll continue to work with him."
It's no easy habit to break when Rivals rates you as the No. 4 dual-threat quarterback in the country. Peavey's feet were a big factor in earning him COC-Small Most Valuable Player while leading the Liberators to an undefeated record.
“I’ve been trying to focus on my pocket posture. That was one of the biggest transitions for me," he said. "In high school, you can just run everywhere and do whatever you want. At this level, it’s different. That’s been an emphasis for me this offseason. If it opens up, I try to keep my eyes downfield and wait for things to develop more, where, back in the day, I would just take off running."
Bielema added that Peavey, still without a regular season snap to his name, has to develop a better understand of every play in order to see time. Peavey enthusiastically welcomes that process.
“I’m just keeping my eyes above the waves and whatever happens, just trust in God’s plan for my life. I know he wants me here for a reason, so I’m going to stay here and work every single day with that in mind."
