Meet John Kuceyeski, QB Guru and Oklahoma OC Ben Arbuckle's Right-Hand Man

Ben Arbuckle met John Kuceyeski at Western Kentucky, and "Coach Kuz" has played a big role in the success of Arbuckle's offenses ever since.

Oklahoma senior offensive analyst John Kuceyeski | Ryan Chapman / Sooners on SI

NORMAN — Michael Hawkins Jr. is excited to lead the Sooners onto the field against Kent State. 

The sophomore started four games last year, but this week represents a chance for him to display nearly 10 months of development. 

Hawkins met with local media on Monday ahead of No. 5-ranked Oklahoma’s contest against the Golden Flashes, and he flashed a big smile as soon as he was asked about his chance to start again on Saturday. 

“It’s great. The process has been really great,” Hawkins said. “I got great support around me. My coaches — Coach Kuz, he’s a great coach. I love him.”

New OU offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle has deservedly been praised for his development of former Washington State quarterback Cam Ward and current Oklahoma star John Mateer. 

But he isn’t working alone. 

Coach Kuz, formally known to the Sooners as Senior Offensive Analyst John Kuceyeski, essentially serves as Arbuckle’s quarterbacks coach, and he’s a key piece of OU’s offensive braintrust. 

Humble Beginnings 

Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer (rear) and assistant QB coach John Kuceyeski. | John E. Hoover / Sooners On SI

Kuceyeski graduated from Penn State in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in finance. 

He worked with Penn State as an undergraduate assistant and a student manager, then he moved to Northwestern to serve as a graduate assistant. 

From there, he made stops at Western Michigan (director of player personnel in the spring of 2013), Toledo (recruiting coordinator from 2013-2015), briefly at Iowa State and then he served as tight ends coach and then offensive line coach at Cornell University from 2016-2018.

Kuceyeski was the offensive coordinator at Eastern Illinois from 2019-2021, but then he finally crossed paths with Arbuckle at Western Kentucky. 

“When we were at Western Kentucky… He came to be our director of player personnel,” Arbuckle said on Tuesday. “It didn’t take me long after conversations with him and everything to figure out that this guy knows ball.”

The relationship continued to grow between Arbuckle and Kuceyeski, and when Jake Dickert tapped up Arbuckle to take over as Washington State’s offensive coordinator, he made sure he could bring Kuceyeski with him. 

“He’s a quick learner,” Arbuckle said. “He’s diligent to every process that he has, really in his life. He does a great job of building relationships with players and he’s a really, really good teacher too.”

Arbuckle and Kuceyeski played a huge role in Ward’s maturation — a process that would eventually see him light up the scoreboard at Miami and get drafted with the No. 1-overall pick in the NFL Draft. 

John Kuceyeski, Cam Ward and Ben Arbuckle at the 2025 NFL Draft. | John Kuceyeski via Twitter/X

They helped mold Mateer, too, a relationship that would prove valuable when the trio all moved to Norman over the offseason. 

Crossing the Country

The attention Oklahoma’s quarterbacks receive is completely different from last year’s setup. 

Seth Littrell had been involved in offenses where quarterbacks flourished, but he had never himself been solely responsible for developing a signal caller. 

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Only when Littrell was axed did the Sooners formally appoint a quarterbacks coach with previous experience in former Duke offensive coordinator Kevin Johns. 

Now, Mateer and Hawkins both enjoy a constant feedback loop with Arbuckle and Kuceyeski. 

Oklahoma coaches John Kuceyeski (left) and Ben Arbuckle with Sooners quarterback John Mateer. | John E. Hoover / Sooners On SI

“It’s a tremendous advantage,” Venables said, “John’s very talented. Excellent teacher. Knows what he wants. Very similar to Ben in many ways, and then other ways, they’re just a little bit different.

“…  It’s constant feedback, encouragement, affirmation, correction. They definitely know what they’re doing. John is fantastic, understands, certainly, their system. He knows how to get guys better. That’s what I love. But he’s full of energy and really passionate about coaching quarterbacks.”

Hawkins is enjoying upgraded coaching, but he’s also got a healthy offensive line, receivers and running backs that will hopefully make his return to the starting lineup go smoothly. 

Hands-On Approach 

Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer (left) watches assistant QB coach John Kuceyeski. | John E. Hoover / Sooners On SI

Arbuckle began building his on-field relationship with Hawkins throughout Oklahoma’s Armed Forces Bowl prep last winter. 

Johns was hired by Oklahoma State, forcing Arbuckle immediately into action in Norman. 

Since he was joined by both Arbuckle and Kuceyeski, Hawkins believes he’s an entirely different player. 

“They’re very hands-on. They’re really tuned into what they’re doing,” Hawkins said. “They know what they’re talking about, so I really love how they operate in the room. They kind of ask questions on the fly, keep you on your toes, so it’s a great room to be in.

“… I feel like I took a big step, and I feel like a big part of that is because of the people around me. Like I said, Coach Kuz and Coach Arbuckle, just the support staff. It’s just been a great environment I’ve been in.”

Arbuckle gave plenty of credit to Hawkins for his growth as well, citing his desire to take coaching and continue to add to his game.

“Coach Kuz does a great job of holding everyone accountable to the same standard of the room,” Arbuckle said, “and Mike’s done a great job of receiving that accountability. It’s fun to see out at practice, it’s fun to see in the meeting room, just the relationship that they have. Not only those two together, but the room as a whole. 

“And it’s just fun to see them get better each week because that’s ultimately what you want to do.”

Arbuckle’s trust in Kuceyeski allows him to invest time in improving other aspects of the offense as well.

Though he doesn’t have the on-field title of quarterbacks coach, Kuceyeski has played a key role in Oklahoma’s offensive turnaround. 

“(He’s) Someone that I trust to the nth degree and I’m just glad I have the ability to work with Coach Kuceyeski,” Arbuckle said. “Everything that he does allows me to really be a coordinator for everyone. I don’t just have to stay with the quarterbacks at all times; I can make sure everybody’s pulling the rope in the same direction. 

“He’s a stud, he’s a great coach and he’s a big part of our process.”