Oklahoma general manager Jim Nagy doesn't believe it will take long for the Sooners' young offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle to help turn things around, not only on the field, but also on the recruiting trail for OU.
A recent thread on X about Arbuckle's quick rise as an offensive mind in college football prompted Nagy to share his extremely high belief in the 29-year-old OC entering his first season as the Sooners' play-caller.
New OC Ben Arbuckle could be answer to Sooners' recruiting woes
"Give him one season in SEC (or maybe just a month) and offensive skill recruits who want to post huge numbers and get to NFL will be early committing or flipping to be a part of what (Ben Arbuckle) is doing Norman," Nagy posted.
Give him one season in SEC (or maybe just a month) and offensive skill recruits who want to post huge numbers and get to NFL will be early committing or flipping to be a part of what @arbuckle_ben is doing Norman. 📈📈📈 https://t.co/NgUT8FkCpR
— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_Sooners) August 16, 2025
Arbuckle has rapidly ascended up the ladder in college football. He just graduated college in 2018 after playing quarterback at West Texas A&M. His first job was in a quality control role at Houston Baptist for two years right after he graduated.
After spending 2020 at the high school level in Texas, Arbuckle took another offensive quality control gig at Western Kentucky. He was then promoted to co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2022 at only 26. The next year, he became a Power Five coordinator at only 27.
At Washington State, Arbuckle mentored future No. 1 overall NFL Draft pick Cam Ward before he eventually transferred to Miami. With Ward gone, John Mateer took over at quarterback as a redshirt sophomore and proceeded to lead the FBS with 44 total TDs last season. Mateer then followed Arbuckle to Norman this past offseason.
Arbuckle was hired by Brent Venables to completely turn around an offense that was dreadful last year and had two different play-callers during the season. Last season's woes have the Sooners struggling on the recruiting trail, especially with the 2026 class.
According to Nagy, though, the Sooners' 2026 class might not be a lost cause yet thanks to Arbuckle after prospects witness what his offense is capable of in the SEC.
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