A year ago, quarterback Jackson Arnold was one of three Oklahoma players who accompanied Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables at SEC Media Days in Dallas, Texas.
The former five-star prospect was back at SEC Media Days this week, this year in Atlanta, but with a different team. Arnold represented the Auburn Tigers as their new starting quarterback.
Although it wasn't completely his fault, the former Gatorade National Player of the Year and 2022 Elite 11 Quarterback Competition MVP bore the brunt of the Sooners' disappointing 6-7 record and offensive collapse last season and elected after the season to transfer and go grab a fresh start somewhere else.
Arnold looking for turnaround at Auburn
Arnold was asked during SEC Media Days what went wrong for him at Oklahoma.
"I mean, for whatever reason, you know, I just didn't play good," Arnold said. "Things happen. Things happen for a reason. Sometimes things work out the way it is supposed to be."
The former top-10 national recruit, who came to Oklahoma with plenty of talent and especially high expectations, is hoping the change of environment and fresh start will help boost his attitude restore his self-confidence.
"I want to go out and do what I know I can do with this Auburn squad this year," Arnold said.
There will be a lot of eyes on Arnold to see how he does at Auburn, where he will be working under an offensive-minded head coach in Hugh Freeze and under a new offensive system and new personnel.
Former ESPN College GameDay analyst David Pollock said Arnold is Auburn's biggest question mark heading into the 2025 season. Historically, Freeze has not been one to take a quarterback out of the transfer portal, but he was really excited when he saw Arnold was available. So the Auburn head coach obviously likes what he sees from Arnold and how he will fit into the Tiger offense. Freeze also acknowledged Arnold's situation at OU.
In defense of Arnold's nightmare 2024 season at Oklahoma, injuries decimated his supporting cast at every level. I'm not sure Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield, considered by many to be the best of all the great QBs in Sooner history, could have found success with the schedule and the two-, three- and four-deep players Arnold had surrounding him. And even Venables agreed.
Arnold was without his five best receivers for most of the season. Although the Sooners were deep at running back, they failed to find consistency with any one player, and the offensive line went through seven different starting combinations before things started to settle out a little.
Perhaps because he was trying to do too much in an attempt to overcome all the issues facing the offense, it led to some poor decision making, missed opportunities and negative plays and, worse, costly turnovers. One of Arnold's most glaring issues was ball security. You could credit some of that, however, to poor play on the offensive line.
It also was not particularly helpful for Arnold to have three different offensive coordinators in his brief two years in Norman.
Arnold is still going to be under a lot of pressure to help recharge an Auburn program that, like Oklahoma, is much in need of a turnaround.
Arnold did not play in the game when Oklahoma played at Auburn last fall. He was replaced as the Sooner starter by freshman Michael Hawkins Jr. after OU's loss to Tennessee the week before. Arnold will be the presumptive starter, however, when Auburn pays a visit to the quarterback's former stomping grounds on Sept. 20 this season.
"Yeah, it will be a fun game. Extremely excited for that one," Arnold said. "And you know, no animosity whatsoever. I just think it's going to be a fun environment to go and play. I really enjoyed playing in that stadium."
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