As Michael Hawkins Adjusts to His New Role at Oklahoma, So Does Jackson Arnold

Sooners coach Brent Venables acknowledges the former 5-star QB is "incredibly disappointed," but said he's "handled things great" as the backup so far.

Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Jackson Arnold (11) walks away from a huddle before the fourth quarter against Tennessee. / BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It must be difficult for Jackson Arnold to watch the last six quarters of Oklahoma football and everything that has happened since.

It would be tough for any competitor.

OU’s 5-star quarterback recruit from Denton, TX, didn’t perform great in his first three games of 2024, then found himself in Week 4 overwhelmed by a cascade of disastrous turnovers. 

He was then replaced by true freshman Michael Hawkins, who rallied the Sooners to two fourth-quarter touchdowns against Tennessee, then rallied them again to victory at Auburn — the first SEC win in program history.

All the amazing visuals that Sooner fans have come to love — Hawkins flipping into the end zone and throwing a TD pass against Tennessee, then throwing a 60-yard bomb to start the comeback at Auburn, and then spinning in with a 2-point conversion to finish it, and then hugging his tearful parents afterward, and then walking out of Jordan-Hare Stadium to chants of “Mich-ael Hawk-ins! Mich-ael Hawk-ins!” and celebrating victory with his teammates, and then watching Hawkins take Arnold’s place as the “face of Oklahoma” in postgame and midweek interviews and in the eyes of OU fans — have likely been tough for Arnold to watch.

“Incredibly, probably, disappointed,” head coach Brent Venables summed up this week after practice. “It would be naive if we didn’t think that’s not a piece of what he’s going through. But I think he’s got the maturity to be like, ‘I’m going to be better from this.’ ”

Arnold wasn’t exactly dealt a winning hand in his first year as a starting college quarterback. 

Wide receiver was regarded as the most exciting and deepest position on the team during the preseason, but the four most experienced wideouts coming back from 2023 have played just 24 snaps all season due to injury, and the receivers he has thrown to have already dropped eight passes. And the offensive line, with five new starters, has been dreadful in both pass protection (Arnold was sacked 10 times in his first 3 1/2 games) and running the ball, while also dealing with widespread injuries — and may only now be just rounding into form.

But Arnold is also aware enough to know that much of his downfall this season was his own undoing. The magnitude of his turnovers against Tennessee was the difference in winning and losing. His decision-making and his indecisiveness have been costly, and his inability to connect on downfield throws has hurt the offense.

Arnold’s Pro Football Focus grade as a passer (52.6) ranks 128th in the nation. He’s completed just 2-of-15 throws  of 20 yards or more (13.3 percent) with no touchdowns and two interceptions, and just 10-of-21 (47.6 percent) on intermediate throws of 10-19 yards with five TDs and no INTs.

He was under pressure on 29.2 percent of his dropbacks, per PFF, and completed just 7-of-20 of those throws (35 percent) with one TD and two picks. Facing a blitz on 50 snaps, Arnold completed 21-of-41 throws for 172 yards with four TDs and two INTs.

Now, as No. 19-ranked OU finishes its bye week and prepares to take on No. 2 Texas in Dallas next week in the annual Red River Rivalry, Arnold faces a new task: being a great teammate and a consummate backup, supporting Hawkins, and being ready to go into a game and perform at a high level at a moment’s notice.

To that end, Venables said Arnold has been “great. That’s my perspective.” 

It’s uncomfortable to talk about, but this era of college football necessitates the conversation: Arnold has played four games this season, meaning if he doesn’t play another one, he can maintain his redshirt and have another year of college eligibility. It’s starting to become a trend for players dissatisfied with their current lot to elect to take the redshirt and then enter the transfer portal. There’s been no indication that Arnold wants to do that, but since he didn’t redshirt last year, it remains an option for him — if he doesn’t play another game.

Venables said the OU staff has “worked hard to make sure he’s got the right mindset. And everybody’s got a role. He’s gotta stay ready. He’s gotta stay ready. And so he’s handled things great. Really, really good in every way. Now, more so than you’d probably think as just a second-year player.”

Meanwhile Hawkins, the former 4-star prospect from the DFW Metroplex, is still adjusting to his new life as the starting quarterback at QBU.

“It’s been pretty crazy just walking around, just going places,” he said. “People notice you more.” 

He said his relationship with Arnold is pretty much the same as it was when their roles were reversed, when Arnold was the starter and Hawkins was the backup.

“It’s been great,” Hawkins said. “We have the same relationship we had before. So nothing has changed. It’s a good relationship. We always try to help each other out in film or even off the football field.”

Venables said it’s been imperative on the coaching staff to keep Arnold engaged. One way is by educating their young quarterback about others who have walked this path before.

“We’ve tried to put a lot of different examples from lots of different people, testimonials — and we do that non-stop for all of our guys,” Venables said. “That’s this game. That’s life. And help guys manage these moments where you’re going through a challenging time, some choppy waters.” 

There’s an immediate resource for sorting through such feelings right in the OU quarterback room. 

At Texas, Casey Thompson had a big bowl performance to end the 2020 season, then in 2021 lost the preseason competition to Hudson Card. Then, when Card struggled, Thompson stepped in to replace Card early in the season. He then transferred to Nebraska in 2022 after Quinn Ewers transferred to Texas from Ohio State.

“Helps a ton,” Hawkins said. “He just has a lot of experience. Like a big brother to you. He just knows what he’s talking about. Like, he could go on and on about it in meetings, even out of meetings. So he’s a great guy to have.”