Why Former Oklahoma Quarterback Jackson Arnold 'Confident' Entering First Year at Auburn

ATLANTA — The Jackson Arnold experiment didn’t go as planned in Norman.

Arnold, a former 5-star quarterback, started nine games behind center for the Sooners in 2024. He finished the year with just 1,421 passing yards, 12 touchdowns and three interceptions, leading OU to a 5-4 record in his start.

Arnold’s SEC Media Days affiliation is different than it was last year, as he transferred to Auburn in December.

The quarterback was one of three Tiger players to attend the media spectacle, joining offensive lineman Connor Lew and defensive lineman Keldric Faulk.

Though his year as OU’s starter didn’t live up to expectations, Arnold is confident that he’ll fit into his new program.

"Last year was tough, obviously not ideal whatsoever," Arnold said Tuesday morning. "I think perseverance was a big thing I learned last year, kind of fighting through the tough times. We did play in some big games last year. Now I fully understand what it's like playing a long SEC schedule against some good teams, playing in those tough games where it's extremely close and you have to kind of grind it out. But I think last year taught me a lot, being able to persevere and really sticking to those tough games.

“I think this offseason was great for me mentally, just being in a new place, getting a fresh start, being around new people, new coaches, new players, new scenery, too, honestly,” Arnold said. “I think for me, mentally, I need to be in a new spot, to be around some other people in order to thrive. And I feel like God put me in a great position that I'm in right now.”

Arnold started the first four games of OU’s 2024 season before getting benched in favor of backup Michael Hawkins Jr. He eventually got the job back in the South Carolina game, starting for the remainder of the season before transferring ahead of the Sooners’ bowl game.

The disappointing season followed lofty goals.

Arnold, who attended Guyer High School in Denton, TX, was the Gatorade National Player of the Year after his senior season. He played sparingly as a true freshman in 2023 but did start the Alamo Bowl against Arizona following Dillon Gabriel's departure for Oregon. Arnold showed promise in that bowl loss, throwing for 362 yards and two touchdowns, but also had three interceptions and a fumble.

Long before his transfer, Auburn coach Hugh Freeze hoped to land Arnold as a high school recruit, saying, “He fit everything that I believe in doing offensively.”

Freeze admitted that he and his staff had to re-evaluate Arnold after his up-and-down year as OU’s starter. But once they did so, Freeze felt the same as he initially did about the quarterback — that he’s a can’t-miss prospect.

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"You have to do a deep dive into why was that, and can I get past whatever that was?" Freeze said Tuesday.

"When you evaluate it ... he had several different play callers, injured offensive line and receivers, and yet when you pull (video of) all of his throws, I still saw that, 'There it is, that's what I saw. There it is again.' He still has that about him.

"Then you look at his toughness, and in the Alabama game putting his team on his back with his legs, and I mean, he had some tough runs. So I knew he had the toughness to him."

Several key players around Arnold suffered injuries early into the 2024 season, including wide receivers Nic Anderson, Andrel Anthony, Jalil Farooq and Deion Burks. The Sooners also trotted out eight different offensive line combinations in their first nine games, due to injuries and inconsistency at the position group.

Freeze believes Arnold was dealt a bad hand during his lone season as OU’s starter. And his goal for the spring was to get his quarterback’s confidence back up.

“It was just a matter of let’s give this guy a restart and let this guy regain his swagger and confidence,” Freeze said. “I’ve seen that swagger and confidence come back pretty quickly.”

Arnold added, “I think having their respect and their trust and going out and doing what we did in the spring, I feel like the offense had a really efficient spring, which instilled a lot of confidence in me.”

Freeze admitted that Arnold told him that there was often “confusion” about his responsibilities within Oklahoma’s offense.

Keeping Arnold on the same page as Freeze and his assistants has been another emphasis for the coach before Arnold’s first season at Auburn.

“There are very, very few times he is confused on what the expectation is on a given concept, a given play, a given RPO,” Freeze said. “His decision making has been pretty dang high. He has the same skill set that he had there, but I do think he has a pretty good understanding of what we want to accomplish.”

"My confidence is extremely high right now," Arnold said.

Oklahoma and Auburn will battle in Norman on Saturday, Sept. 20. The Sooners scored 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter last year to win 27-21 on the road.

The game against his former team is one of several matchups on Auburn’s schedule that Arnold has circled.

“No animosity, whatsoever,” Arnold said in an interview with SEC Network’s Paul Finebaum. “I think it’s going to be a fun environment to go in and play. I really enjoy playing in that stadium.”

'I didn't play good' at Oklahoma: Former OU, new Auburn QB Jackson Arnold at 2025 SEC Media Days #CollegeFootball #SECFootball #SECMD25 #AuburnTigers #sooners pic.twitter.com/kdZJ1aAipq
— OU Daily Sports (@OUDailySports) July 15, 2025