Oklahoma Sooners head coach Brent Venables brought true sophomore QB Jackson Arnold to Dallas, Texas, for the program’s first appearance at SEC Media Days, and he didn’t disappoint. What can OU fans and SEC opponents expect from the Sooners’ offense in 2024?
QB Jackson Arnold Raves About Oklahoma Sooners Offense at SEC Media Days
Former offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby left Norman to become Mississippi State’s head coach, forcing a changing of the guard. Venables promoted 2023 offensive analyst Seth Littrell and tight ends coach Joe Jon Finley to co-OC, with Littrell handling play-calling duties. So, what does that mean for the offense?
“Super up-tempo, fast offense. Spread ’em out wide — we’re a spread offense, old Air Raid system is a part of it,” Arnold said at Media Days. “Just a super explosive offense that loves to get going and have fun.”
Littrell previously called plays at Arizona (2010-11), Indiana (2012-13), and North Carolina (2014-15) before North Texas hired him as its head coach in 2016. He went 44-44 and made five bowl appearances in his tenure, and while a dead-even record isn’t all that impressive, his offenses were.
Under Littrell, the Mean Green boasted four of the top seven highest-scoring offenses in school history and ranked top three in total offense, top two in pass offense, and top three in scoring in the CUSA for four consecutive seasons (2017-20).
Of course, the CUSA isn’t the SEC, and it will be difficult to fill Lebby’s shoes, as the Sooners ranked fourth nationally in points (41.7) and third in yards per game (507) last season. And while star QB Dillon Gabriel left for greener pastures with Oregon, Arnold is capable of carrying the offense.
The former five-star recruit, Elite 11 winner, and Gatorade National Player of the Year recipient, Arnold has all the physical tools to put up points in droves with the Sooners. He flashed his potential against Arkansas State in garbage time early in his freshman season, completing all 11 of his passes for 114 yards and one touchdown while taking five carries for 38 yards and another score.
However, Arnold’s lack of live reps also reared its head in the Alamo Bowl against Arizona. He completed just 57.8% of his passes for 361 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions. The experience was necessary, and Arnold said all the right things about his growth this offseason.
“In high school, you can kind of get away with things that you can’t get away with in college. You can make these extreme plays where in college you don’t need to make. Just go out, execute, do what the coaches need you to do, and you can go out and win games, man.
“I feel like in the bowl game — even in BYU a little bit — I tried to do too much, tried to overcompensate, and that’s when the mistakes start happening, the turnovers start happening. So just learning to play in my realm and execute and do what I’m coached is a huge learning point for me.”
Yet, Arnold isn’t the only offensive player defenses will have to worry about. When asked about Purdue transfer Deion Burks, who posted a 47-629-7 receiving line in 2023, the rising QB had nothing but glowing words to share.
“Deion is an absolute stud. Great person, great football player. Super fast, super quick. He’s going to be one of our guys this year. He’s always going to get open. In spring ball, he was always getting open.”
KEEP READING: 2024 SEC QB Rankings
Burks joins the returning Nic Anderson, Jayden Gibson, Andrel Anthony, and Jalil Farooq to form one of the deepest receiving corps in the nation and create expansive throwing windows for Arnold to hit.
There’s no doubt that with Arnold’s growth and the depth of talent at the skill positions, the Sooners’ offense is poised to be a force to be reckoned with in their first year in the SEC.
College Football Network has you covered with the latest news and analysis, rankings, transfer portal information, top 10 returning players, the 2024 college football season schedule, and much more!