Getty Image
The Oklahoma Sooners continue to search for answers under center as they rotate a pair of highly touted passers through the starting lineup.
Sophomore Jackson Arnold began the year as “the guy” before being unseated by freshman Michael Hawkins Jr. They’ve since returned to the former amid a three-game losing streak.
Arnold started the first three matchups of the year for the Sooners, posting a spotless 3-0 record. That said, the competition level picked up when OU started conference play.
Arnold was benched after going 7-of-16 in a loss to Tennessee. Hawkins led Oklahoma to its first SEC win a week later vs. Auburn.
Unfortunately, he was unable to keep the good times rolling.
The Sooners were blown out in back-to-back matchups against Texas and South Carolina, with the offense totaling 12 points. Hawkins turned the ball over three times against the Gamecocks, two of which were returned for touchdowns, allowing Jackson Arnold to regain the QB1 role.
Arnold started last week, which effectively ended his chances of a redshirt. Still, transfer rumors continue to swirl.
Head coach Brent Venables commented on the speculation this week with the Sooners gearing up for a game against Maine.
Here is Brent Venables’ full answer on Jackson Arnold’s future at Oklahoma:
“You’re the starting quarterback at Oklahoma. That’s your dream. You turned down a lot of good people to come here. Now you face some headwinds and you’re just going to quit? I don’t see that in him.” pic.twitter.com/G9I6ZCMopn
— Josh Callaway (@JoshMCallaway) October 29, 2024
He doesn’t see a transfer in Jackson Arnold’s future. He says his QB’s built with the “right stuff.”
Brent Venables’ comments gave Oklahoma fans Caleb Williams flashbacks.
The coach took over in Norman ahead of the 2022 season following the departure of Lincoln Riley to USC. At the time, Williams was still on the team, fresh off a stellar freshman campaign.
Venables was asked about his quarterback’s status that offseason.
“Well, I do [think Caleb Williams will be the starting QB at Oklahoma]. I’d be surprised if he wasn’t. But you’d have to ask him… We need him. I think that the best version of Caleb Williams, combined with a supporting cast, coaching, playing, offense, defense can be a wonderful marriage.
“He’s a wonderful young guy that’s got big dreams like all young people, and hopefully he and their family feel like that we can facilitate that. That, again, our values, and his dreams are our dreams and so forth. Obviously, we want to be a great teammate, but he’s the face of our program moving forward.”
-Brent Venables
Those remarks soured quickly as Williams opted to follow his old coach to Los Angeles. Oklahoma has been searching for stability under center since.
They could find that in Jackson Arnold over the next few seasons should he continue to improve as the starter. The Sooners are hoping their head coach is right this time around.