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The Oklahoma football team has a bit of a quarterback controversy this season as it bounces between a pair of young signal callers.
Former five-star passer Jackson Arnold started the year under center before being unseated by freshman Michael Hawkins, Jr. With Arnold on the bench, redshirt speculation has grown.
Redshirting with intentions of entering the transfer portal at season’s end is all the rage in college football. Players unhappy with playing time or NIL are choosing to preserve a year of eligibility in hopes of finding a better opportunity elsewhere in the future.
Many around Sooner Nation are wondering if Jackson Arnold will follow a similar path with his playing time taking a hit.
Arnold came to Norman as a highly touted recruit, and he landed his chance of leading the Oklahoma football team early on in his career.
Unfortunately, success was hard to come by as the Sooners made the transition into the SEC.
Arnold struggled with consistency, completing less than 60% of his attempts while leading the team to a 3-1 start. He failed to record a 200-yard game despite playing the likes of Temple, Houston, and Tulane, and he was eventually replaced is his first conference matchup against Tennessee.
Since, Michael Hawkins has taken the keys to the offense, and though his play hasn’t been spectacular, he led the Sooners to their first SEC win over Auburn and has yet to throw an interception.
That said, his production leaves much to be desired.
Like Jackson Arnold, Hawkins has yet to throw for 200 yards in a game. In his most recent outing, Oklahoma was blown out 34-3 by archrival Texas.
Though the quarterback struggled, he was never replaced.
Did a potential redshirt decision play a role? Arnold has already competed in four games this season. One more appearance would effectively burn a year of eligibility.
If he’s thinking about sitting out and transferring at year’s end, that certainly could’ve been reasoning as to his absence.
At this point, no one’s quite sure what to make of the situation in Norman. The Sooners’ head coach did his best to provide clarity on Tuesday.
Brent Venables has talked to Jackson Arnold about a redshirt.
Venables says they have discussed redshirting Jackson Arnold this season. Didn’t say if he will.
“He wants to be the starting quarterback at the University of Oklahoma… I feel like it’s only right to give Mike the opportunity a chance to be the guy and have a body of work.”
— George Stoia III (@GeorgeStoia) October 15, 2024
The head coach says he’s had talks with his signal caller about a potential redshirt. He wouldn’t say if he plans to save his season of eligibility, though.
In fact, he stated that Arnold “wants to be the starting quarterback for the University of Oklahoma.” Venables has no intention of shutting his five-star passer down should he want to continue playing this year.
“What was told to Jackson is, if we put you in, it’s because we need you to help us go win.”
-Brent Venables
Still, it doesn’t seem like Arnold will take over the QB1 role when the Sooners play South Carolina on Saturday. That doesn’t mean we won’t see him under center, however.
Venables says he would “not put out of the realm of possibility” of playing two quarterbacks in a game. Says he obviously just wants to play one. #Sooners
— George Stoia III (@GeorgeStoia) October 15, 2024
This could be a make-or-break week in terms of determining the future of Jackson Arnold, whether that be in Norman or elsewhere. Should we see him against the Gamecocks, it probably bodes well for his return at season’s end.
If not, we may not see him again this year with the Sooners’ bowl hopes potentially resting on this contest.
The rest of the season includes trips to LSU, Ole Miss, and Mizzou while Oklahoma hosts Alabama in its final home SEC matchup. A loss to the Gamecocks could send the Sooners towards a 5-7 outcome.