Oklahoma QB Commit Jackson Arnold Knew Norman 'Was the Place to be'

Jeff Lebby landed one of the top quarterbacks in the 2023 class for his first recruiting class at OU.

EULESS, TX — Less than two months on the job, Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby landed his first quarterback commit for the Sooners.

Denton Guyer High School’s Jackson Arnold committed to OU at the end of January, giving the Sooners a centerpiece to the 2023 class.

For Arnold, Lebby’s move to Norman made his decision to pull the trigger on committing to Oklahoma a no-brainer.

“Lebby was one of my first offers, so I’ve been high on him since he was at Ole Miss back in almost March last year,” Arnold told SI Sooners after the Elite 11 Dallas Regional on Sunday. “I’ve kept a good connection with him, talk to them almost every week since then. Just built a great relationship.

“And once he went to Oklahoma, only two and a half hours away, I knew it was the place to be.”

Arnold is a big fan of Lebby’s offense, as its something he’s already pretty familiar with.

“His offense, it’s almost what we run at my high school,” Arnold said. “Its fast tempo, wide splits, all that stuff, RPO’s. It’s just fun to play in and highly effective at that level.”

The familiarity with the offense is an even bigger asset for Arnold considering the production he’s had in high school.

Ryan Chapman / SI Sooners

Last year, Arnold led his team to the Texas 6A D-II State Championship game. Overall, the 6-foot-1 quarterback completed 66.5 percent of his passes, throwing for 3,921 yards and 34 touchdowns while only tossing five interceptions. 

Ryan Chapman / SI Sooners

A dual-threat athlete, Arnold also picked up 659 yards and 12 touchdowns on 208 rushing attempts. 

Ryan Chapman / SI Sooners

Not only is Arnold excited to work within Lebby’s offense, he’s said he’s looking forward to being around him day-to-day around the team facility. 

“Lebby the person, he’s outgoing. He’s fun,” Arnold said. “He’s fun to be around too. That’s someone I want to be around. I’m gonna be around him the majority of my day in college, so being around someone like that is super important.”

While Lebby was a big part of his recruitment, Arnold said he’s enjoyed what he’s seen out of Brent Venables as well.

Even though he’s a defensive guy, Arnold said OU’s new head coach has made a great impression since taking over in Norman.

“I love him. High energy,” Arnold said. “I love what he preaches, his speeches. Everything he says kind of resonates with me. He’s a good, Christian man. He kind of involves that into his speeches, how to be an uncommon man.

“But I just love what he’s talking about right now how he’s going to lead his players.”

Now, Arnold said he’s embracing his role as a driving force to help add players to the 2023 class.

He’s already built a great bond with wide receiver commit Ashton Cozart, who he already had a longstanding relationship with before both players announced their commitments to OU.

“Ashton might go to a different (high school),” said Arnold, “but he lives six minutes from my house. So I’ve been out front with him, training with him. We drove to OU together one time. Just built a great relationship with him.”

As the 2023 class comes together over the summer, Arnold still has a few personal goals to accomplish.

He earned an invite to the Elite 11 Finals on Sunday, where he can be crowed the top quarterback in the 2023 class laster this summer before returning to chase a state title in his senior season.

Regardless of how he finishes at the Elite 11 Final, Lebby got off on the right foot at OU by landing one of the top quarterbacks in the 2023 recruiting cycle. 

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