5 possible transfer destinations for Jackson Arnold

Jackson Arnold will no longer be a Sooner, but where will his next destination be?

Arnold, who started at quarterback most of this season for Oklahoma, has entered the transfer portal after two years in Norman. His time with OU was underwhelming compared to expectations, but as a former five-star recruit and young sophomore player with a full season under his belt, Arnold should still be one of the hottest quarterbacks in the portal this offseason.

Here are five possible landing spots for Arnold, considering reports and good fits.

Mississippi State

The guy who originally recruited Arnold as a five-star prospect is now the head coach at Missisippi State.

Jeffy Lebby landed Arnold while he was the offensive coordinator at OU but left after only one season with Arnold to take over Mississippi State. Arnold didn't follow Lebby then and stayed put to take over the Sooners' offense.

Now that Arnold is available again, though, Lebby could use a quarterback and Arnold has already committed to Lebby and his offense once before.

Oregon

Will the Oklahoma to Oregon pipeline continue?

Dillon Gabriel left OU to be a Duck last year and now has Oregon as the No. 1 team in the country. Gabriel will be out of eligibility after this season, though, leaving the Ducks looking for another quarterback. And it certainly worked out the last time Oregon swiped a Sooner.

As for Arnold in this situation, it might be the best case. Dan Lanning is known to develop quarterback talent, Oregon has deep pockets to pay its QB1 and Arnold would immediately be inserted into a great situation, especially compared to what he had to endure this season without his top five receivers and with a shuffling offensive line.

USC

The only thing that might hurt worse than losing another quarterback to Oregon is losing another to Lincoln Riley.

Riley needs a quarterback at USC. And now that he's in hot water, Riley needs to find success now with whoever his QB1 is, so he'll likely look to the portal for his next one.

Although the Trojans struggled this season, Riley still has a knack for turning quarterbacks into Heisman contenders and top NFL prospects. That would be hard for Arnold to ignore if he'd like to reach his full potential as a five-star guy.

Ole Miss

Speaking of USC, Lane Kiffin nabbed Jaxson Dart from L.A. and it worked out well for him. But now Dart will be moving on and Ole Miss needs his replacement.

Arnold could still play SEC football and for one of the most explosive offenses in the conference.

Colorado

Maybe Arnold would actually like out of the SEC.

With his son, Shedeur Sanders, headed to the NFL, Coach Prime will need a new QB1 at Colorado to continue what he's started there. The Buffaloes landed one of the best quarterbacks from the 2025 signing class, but Deion Sanders can't afford to develop a green quarterback and lose the momentum he's gained next season.

Arnold could join an explosive offense knowing Sanders will surround him with the best talent possible. There would also be the luxury of playing Big 12 defenses instead of the SEC week to week.