Isaiah Coe hopes college football fans will keep perspective as Auburn quarterback Jackson Arnold makes his highly-anticipated return to Oklahoma on Saturday. Some of them have already lost the plot.
It is never that serious.
Fortunately, this plea does not apply to all of the college football fans in Norman. Unfortunately, there is a still small group of Sooners fans who are calling for a serious injury to their former quarterback.
Jackson Arnold returns.
Arnold was ranked as the No. 4 quarterback recruit in the Class of 2023 behind Arch Manning, Nico Iamaleava and Dante Moore. He was rated as a five-star prospect.
The Texas-native ultimately chose to play at Oklahoma over 24 other offers from schools like Alabama, Nebraska, LSU, Florida, Penn State, Ohio State, Tennessee and Colorado.
However, Arnold never quite lived up to expectations in Norman. The Sooners used him only in garbage time as the backup to Dillon Gabriel as a freshman. They went 5-4 in his nine games as a starter in 2024.
Arnold completed 62.6% of his passes for 1,421 yards and 12 touchdowns with three interceptions and ran for 444 yards on 150 carries but he could not get the job done. He and Michael Hawkins Jr. ultimately split time as the starter in a revolving door at the position. It was disappointing. There was a sour taste.
Jackson Arnold needed a change. The former top-ranked recruit hit the transfer portal and landed at Auburn.
The Tigers will play the Sooners in Norman on Saturday. Arnold will be the starting quarterback of his new school against his old school.
Oklahoma fans need to calm down.
First and foremost, Oklahoma fans played a huge role in the departure of their quarterback. They bullied Arnold throughout his entire sophomore season. They effectively ran him out of town.
To then turn around and try to claim he is a traitor would be ignorant to reality.
I understand how his departure could be frustrating. Last season was a disaster.
It makes sense for Sooners fans to want to beat him. It makes sense for them to be salty. They can hate him. Fine!
These kinds of impromptu rivalries are part of what make sports so fun. This upcoming matchup between two undefeated, top-25 programs is one of the best college football games of the weekend.
However, there is a line and ‘The Ultimate Sooner’ crossed that line.
“Jackson Arnold will be carted off the field this weekend,” he wrote on X. “It’s that serious.”
Isaiah Coe, a former defensive star at Oklahoma, does not agree. He checked his former fanbase.
“Crazyyyy Statement Lil Bro Still A Human At The End Of The Day,” Coe replied to The Ultimate Sooner.
Crazy statement indeed. Lets all be sure to keep perspective when it comes to college athletes…