Why Oklahoma is So Fired Up to Welcome Back Jackson Arnold

For Oklahoma’s defense, this week is simple.

Pressure the quarterback and good things will happen.

For Sooner Nation, there’s one small detail missing from that equation: the quarterback is Jackson Arnold.

The Southeastern Conference did everyone a big favor when they scheduled this year’s OU-Auburn game as the league opener for both teams — Arnold quarterbacked the Sooners last year, he leads the Tigers this year, SEC play is here, let’s get it on.

No. 11-ranked Oklahoma takes on No. 22 Auburn at Owen Field on Saturday, with a 2:30 p.m. kickoff and another national broadcast (ABC).

In year four under Brent Venables, the Sooners have turned the offense over to new coordinator Ben Arbuckle and quarterback John Mateer, and Venables on Monday said the OU offense is "night and day better than we were a year ago."

When Arnold was the quarterback.

It’s early in the week, and everyone is saying all the right things, of course, from Auburn coach Hugh Freeze to Venables to Arnold himself.

“He's a pro,” Freeze said Monday at his weekly press conference. “We all understand that. You know, people might cheer for and boo him, whatever it is. But I think he's mentally strong and is more about preparing. And my advice to him is, ‘Man, just keep the focus on our team.’ ”

"It's not about Jackson at all," Venables said Monday night on his weekly coach's show. "And certainly we appreciate his time here and, you know, the things he was able to accomplish while he was here. You know, love him. Love his family, Sharon and Todd, great people. And he got a fresh start where he's at.

"But this is about Oklahoma versus Auburn this week, and there will be an Auburn quarterback, and he's very talented, as we know. But this is about ... for us, to find a way to to get a win this week in our opener here in the SEC."

Freeze said keeping his focus on the team and not himself was his own focus when he coached at Liberty and took his team back to Ole Miss for a game in 2021.

But a player — especially a quarterback — might naturally have a different perspective on such a game.

Arnold, a former 5-star prospect who grew up in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex cheering for the Sooners and was committed to them for nearly two years before signing, then went on to play two seasons in the Crimson and Cream (one as the starter) before transferring to Auburn last December, says he isn’t hearing the hype, the hate or the hubbub.

“I mean, I'm not on social media either, so there's no noise for me,” Arnold said Saturday in Auburn’s postgame press conference after the Tigers dispatched South Alabama 31-15 to improve to 3-0 on the season.

“Just worried about going to practice every day and being the best version of myself off the field and watching tape, watching OU, just locking in and doing my job throughout the week. It’s nothing more than that. I mean, it's a job for us to go in every day and attack it and make every day my best day.”

Arnold was going to redshirt as a true freshman in 2023 as Dillon Gabriel’s backup, but the Sooners needed him to play the second half when Gabriel got hurt in a tight game at BYU. He completed a couple of clutch passes to clinch the win, then, after Gabriel transferred to Oregon, had an up-and-down Alamo Bowl against Arizona in his first collegiate start: 361 yards and two touchdowns passing, but three interceptions and a fumble.

Arnold was elevated to the starting role when 2024 began, but he never seemed to get comfortable last season as both the offensive line and wide receiver groups were decimated by injury. Further hampered by Seth Littrell being hired as offensive coordinator — then fired at midseason — Arnold struggled early last season before being benched due to an endless stream of turnovers.

He got his job back when his replacement, Michael Hawkins, also couldn’t stop making turnovers as the Sooners stumbled to another 6-6 record. But when the regular season ended, Arnold hit the transfer portal and Hawkins started the Armed Forces Bowl against Navy.

Arnold finished his one season as the OU starter with 1,421 yards passing with 12 touchdowns and three interceptions, plus 444 yards rushing, three TDs and 12 fumbles (six lost).

He ranked 56th in completion percentage (.626), 85th in completions per game (15.4), 95th in passer efficiency rating (124.8), 101st in passing touchdowns (12), 113th in passing yards per game (142.1), 118th and last among statistical qualifiers in passing yards per completion (9.23) and yards per attempt (5.78), and 138th in points responsible for (96th).

Those were all historic lows at OU since the 1999 season, which hastened everyone’s thinking that both the quarterback and the team might benefit if Arnold chose another team.

In three games with the Tigers this season, Arnold is completing 64 percent of his passes and is running the football well with 192 yards (5.5 per carry) and four scores. That includes 137 yards and two TDs on the ground in the opener against Baylor. He has 501 yards passing with eight total touchdowns and no turnovers.

In July, Venables said he “hates” what happened to the Sooners’ latest 5-star QB and that he still wanted Arnold to come back to Oklahoma.

“Unfortunately for him, everything around him wasn’t helping him be successful,” Venables said from SEC Media Days in Atlanta, alluding to OU’s myriad offensive injuries. “So, he had no chance in some ways, under the circumstances.

“I love Jackson, love his family,” Venables continued. “Hate what happened. We wanted to keep him. We tried to keep him, but I think he just needed a fresh start. I don’t want to speak for him, but he was wonderful.”

That starts Saturday when Arnold returns to Owen Field, where his last performance was a good one: 9-of-11 passing for 68 yards, and 131 yards on 25 rushes in a 24-3 victory over Alabama. That win clinched a bowl game for Oklahoma for the 26th year in a row.

“Never once was I disappointed in him,” Venables said in July. “He handled one of the toughest moments of his athletic life in an amazing, first-class way. I know this without reservation, he’s going to play this game a long time at a really high level.”

Freeze remembers his own advice from when he returned to Ole Miss, and he said he’s given Arnold the same advice this week.

“It’s not about you, it's not about me,” he said, “it’s about our team.”