Oklahoma QB Commit Jackson Arnold Earns Spot at Elite 11 Finals
EULESS, TX — Jackson Arnold endured the blistering Texas heat on Sunday to punch his ticket to the Elite 11 Finals.
Arnold, a 6-foot-1 quarterback in the 2023 class who is committed to Oklahoma, shined during the Elite 11 Dallas Regional, and was one of two quarterbacks who earned on invite to the Elite 11 Finals later this summer.
“It felt great,” Arnold said of getting the invite to the Elite 11 Finals. “It’s something I’ve looked up to for a while now watching Justin Fields and Trevor Lawrence a while ago. I felt at first I started a little slow and kind of picked it up, moving on and by the end I was throwing pretty good.”
Competing against the likes of Baylor commit Austin Novosad, Texas Tech pledge Jake Strong and other Power 5 quarterback prospects, Arnold’s arm strength and accuracy stood out.
Arnold’s arm endured as well, as the pop was still on his throws well into the nearly four-hour event, something Arnold told SI Sooners he was cognizant of coming into Sunday.
“At the beginning too I was trying to save my arm and not burn myself out,” said Arnold, “because I knew our last station was the Pro Day.”
Novosad earned the highest grade at the Pro Day throwing station, but Arnold put in a solid performance as well alongside the future Baylor Bear.
Arnold’s performance at the Elite 11 Regional matched the expectations the event organizers had coming into the weekend, Elite 11 Director Brian Stumpf said.
Ryan Chapman / SI Sooners
Ryan Chapman / SI Sooners
Ryan Chapman / SI Sooners
On top of having a strong and accurate arm, Stumpf said Arnold also impressed in the physical testing portion of the event.
“He tested pretty well today,” Stumpf said. “I think he was in the lower 4.7’s, so one of the better times in terms of the testing we did at the beginning of the day.”
Arnold stood out amongst a class of talented quarterbacks on Sunday, something that has become standard for the Elite 11’s yearly stop in Dallas, Stumpf said.
“This was a strong regional last year with three invites on the spot,” he said. “Really strong group again today and he was right there at the top of it.”
Now, Arnold will focus on finishing his baseball season before turning his attention to the Elite 11 Finals later this summer.
The exact date and location for the event is still to be announced, but the Finals are likely to occur toward the end of June on the West Coast.
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