Oklahoma QB Earns Praise From Coaches Early in Fall Camp
Jackson Arnold is one of the most highly touted quarterback prospects Oklahoma has ever landed.
While this may be hard to believe due to the long history of successful passers that have come through Norman, few were rated as highly as Arnold coming out of high school.
As a senior at Denton Guyer (TX), Arnold was ranked higher in his recruiting class than Kyler Murray, Sam Bradford, Baker Mayfield and Jalen Hurts.
On Friday, the 2022 Elite 11 MVP and the rest of the Sooners' practiced in front of the media for about 40 minutes in what was Oklahoma's second day of fall camp. In the drills that reporters were able to see, the 5-star freshman performed well, looking comfortable rolling out and delivering easy passes to running backs on wheel routes.
While the media wasn't able to see any team drills, Arnold seemed to be taking reps as the second QB, consistently going behind incumbent starter Dillon Gabriel in each activity.
Arnold was a good runner in high school, but wasn't able to show off his mobility in the portion of practice that reporters were able to watch.
After Friday's session, head coach Brent Venables was asked about Arnold's performance over his first two collegiate practices.
"Jackson had a couple of balls here yesterday and today where he's thrown guys open," Venables said after practice. "Thrown it before their open and how'd he see that. So he's made some good plays."
While Arnold likely won't make a huge impact during his first year in Norman, it is important for the skilled passer to get acclimated to life in college football, as he could be taking over the Sooners' starting job as early as next season. With OU going to the SEC in 2024, it will be important for Arnold to gain as much experience as he can before Oklahoma makes the jump.
In practice, Arnold seemed confident running bootleg plays in both directions, throwing out routes to running backs and letting the ball fly on deeper patterns. The Denton Guyer (TX) product easily lofted the ball 40 yards downfield, placing it perfectly in the outstretched arms of his target.
On quick, shorter passes, Arnold was very accurate, hitting the outside shoulder of his receiver consistently. Additionally, the January enrollee took offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby's coaching well, as he listened closely to what his position coach had to say.
From what the media was able to see, it was a solid outing for the former 5-star prospect, good enough to earn praise from his head coach. If Arnold continues to perform well in practice, it would not be surprising to see fans begin to clamor for the 6-foot-1 true freshman to see more in-game action, especially if Gabriel has a slump at any point during the upcoming season.
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