In Jackson Arnold, Oklahoma Landed a 'Foundational' Quarterback
NORMAN — There was no surprise. No drama. No hat games. In fact, that may be what the Oklahoma coaching staff appreciated most about signing quarterback Jackson Arnold on Wednesday.
OU coach Brent Venables even went so far as to call Arnold “a foundational player” at the beginning of his National Signing Day press conference.
Arnold was one of 24 new Sooners – at least by early afternoon – who signed to play in 2023. The breakdown includes 14 defensive players and 10 offensive players. Five hail from Florida, four from Texas, two from Oklahoma – 14 states in all. There are six defensive backs, five defensive linemen, three linebackers, four offensive linemen, two wide receivers, two running backs, a tight end and, of course, a quarterback.
“And again more to come,” Venables said. “We've got length and speed on both sides of the ball at skill.”
Arnold is the crown jewel, a 5-star QB and the seventh-highest-rated player in the last 20 years at OU.
“What I love about Jackson Arnold,” Venables said, “he’s one of the first young men that I visited with in my office a year ago last January – me and his family – had an amazing conversation with him. He was incredibly anxious. I wondered, ‘Does he got to use the restroom?’ I mean, he was just antsy. He was just nervous.
“This is the moment for him. He had taken several trips, including to Oklahoma prior to that certainly (with) a different staff, but around the country. But he was at a really good place.”
Offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby said a number of things jump off the video when evaluating the 6-foot-1, 205-pound Arnold.
“I think the very first thing was how effortless he can spin the football,” Lebby said. “Comes off his hand incredibly smooth. His athletic ability, it really got showcased for him in the playoffs this year, but he can do so much. That’s the biggest thing. We’re going to put him in positions of success, but I don’t think there’s anything he can’t be really, really good at. Got this incredible skill set. Leadership obviously is first class. Again, couldn’t be more excited about him.”
Lebby said Arnold’s toughness also “jumps off the tape,” but acknowledged he may have to talk to Arnold about his willingness to throw his body around in potentially dangerous situations. What worked for running quarterbacks in high school doesn’t always translate to major college football.
“We always talk about being able to see a guy’s competitive spirit on tape,” Lebby said. “To me, you don’t have to get around Jackson to know he loves football. You can put on 10 plays and know real quickly this guy is ultra-competitive and loves ball. That’s what you want. It jumps off the tape. His toughness, his passion, his energy, his leadership. All of it you can see watching the tape, which is exactly what we want.
"At some point, he’s going to be the face of Oklahoma, which is exciting."
And as with many quarterbacks, there are things about Arnold that you can’t identify just by watching video or even seeing him play live.
“He walks into a room and can own a room,” Lebby said. “I think he makes everybody around him better all the time. He’s going to be a guy who is (the) first one in and last one to leave. Those are things that are going to be an immediate impact for us. I cannot be more excited, more proud to coach him. He’s been awesome from a recruiting standpoint.”
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