Jackson Arnold had no chance of succeeding as the Oklahoma Sooners' quarterback. And that even came from the man who leads OU's football program.
Arnold was back at SEC Media Days this week for the second straight year, but this time he represented the Auburn Tigers instead of the Sooners after transferring this offseason.
“I mean, for whatever reason, I just didn’t play good (at OU),” Arnold said during an interview with SEC Network. “Things happen for a reason.
"Sometimes, things don’t work out the way it's supposed to. We’re on God’s timing, not our timing. I thought the best decision for me was to move on somewhere else and get a fresh start.”
Arnold shouldered the blame for not living up to expectations at OU as a five-star signee in 2023. However, he's in a tough spot, because if Arnold was honest about his situation at OU, then fans would roast him for making excuses. Both of his head coaches were bluntly honest and defensive of the young quarterback at SEC Media Days, though.
Venables, Freeze agree OU's situation was cause of Arnold's struggles
Arnold struggled during his first and only season as OU's sophomore QB1 last year while the Sooners were dreadful up front, suffered plethora injuries at receiver and even fired offensive coordinator Seth Littrell seven games into the season. Venables made it clear at SEC Media Days that not only did OU want to keep Arnold in Norman despite the woes, but he also admitted there was never any blame on Arnold for OU's historically poor offense.
"I hate that what happened," Venables said. "We wanted to keep him. We tried to keep him. But I think he just needed a fresh start. I don't want to speak for him. But he was wonderful. Never once was I disappointed in him. He handled one of the toughest moments of his athletic life in an amazing first-class way.
"I know this, without reservation, he's gonna play this game a long time at a really high level. Unfortunately for him, everything around him wasn't helping him be successful. He had no chance in some ways under the circumstances and dealt a really bad hand."
Arnold's new coach, Hugh Freeze, agreed with Venables that the situation at OU was to blame. He also added the fact that Arnold played under three different OCs in just two years with the Sooners after the guy who recruited him, Jeff Lebby, left to be the head coach at Mississippi State when Arnold was a freshman.
"They had a ton of injuries that I think really affected the play around Jackson," Freeze said. "And three different coordinators. That rattled his confidence. I think that's what he needed was just a confidence rebuild and a reset. And I think our receivers have helped him feel confident throughout spring practice. Knowing that I believe in him and our staff believes in him I think is what he needed to reset."
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