When the Oklahoma Sooners open their 2024 season, plenty of things will be new. The Sooners join the SEC, break in two new coordinators, and debut a new quarterback, as they’ll replace Heisman hopeful Dillon Gabriel, who transferred to Oregon in the offseason.
Now, the Oklahoma coaching staff is high on Jackson Arnold, despite his lack of college experience. What do you need to know about the Sooners’ new quarterback?
Everything You Need To Know About New Oklahoma QB Jackson Arnold
Just a sophomore, Arnold was a top-10 overall recruit in the 2024 class. He signed with the Sooners over dozens of other Power Four offers, including scholarship offers from schools like Alabama and Ohio State.
Arnold played sparingly as a true freshman, seeing action in just six regular-season games, attempting passes in just four before starting the Alamo Bowl against Arizona. Here’s what we know.
Oklahoma Staff Is High on Jackson Arnold
While this should be obvious, it’s worth mentioning. Not only does Oklahoma’s coaching staff think it will be okay following the Heisman-contending Gabriel’s departure, but a few team sources have mentioned they were completely okay with him leaving, allowing Arnold to play a year earlier than expected.
That could be coach speak, but it’s undeniable that the coaching staff is excited about Arnold’s potential. He was ranked as a five-star prospect for a reason, and the staff saw nothing last year to discourage or convince them to take a quarterback transfer.
Arnold Lacks Experience
It’s not just that Arnold attempted just 69 passes last season; It’s also that Arnold only started during his senior year of high school.
While many five-star quarterbacks come to the college level with close to 1,000 pass attempts in their high school careers, Arnold attempted less than 400 at Guyer High School in Denton, Texas.
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Last year, Arnold attempted just 24 passes in the regular season before starting the bowl game. He honestly wasn’t that great there, throwing three picks and completing just 58% of his passes. That’s probably a postseason outlier, but it should at least give fans some pause.
Arnold Is a True Dual-Threat Quarterback
Arnold’s rushing numbers from last season aren’t eye-popping, but he certainly has prowess as a runner.
As a senior in high school, Arnold ran 153 times for nearly 900 yards and 23 touchdowns. He’s going to be used on designed runs and as a scrambler, where he did some damage in the Alamo Bowl.
Given the lack of depth behind the sophomore, the Sooners will likely be cautious with Arnold as a runner — especially against Temple — but expect him to break off a few big runs this season.
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