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Oklahoma QB Jackson Arnold Wins One Major Award, Finalist for Another

The Sooners' newest QB takes home the top award in the state of Texas but also is one of just three finalists for Gatorade's national player of the year.

John E. Hoover

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Oklahoma quarterback signee Jackson Arnold landed a major postseason award on Friday, and took one step closer to getting an even bigger one.

Arnold was named Texas High School Gatorade Player of the Year, only minutes before Gatorade named him one of three finalists for its National Player of the Year Award.

“Beyond blessed to win Texas Gatorade Player of the Year,” Arnold tweeted.

Sooner fans will be familiar with the other national finalists. One is Texas signee Arch Manning, and the other is USC signee Malachi Nelson, who had been committed to Lincoln Riley and OU before flipping to the Trojans.

Gatorade will announce its national player of the year honor next week.

In leading Denton Guyer to a 14-1 record and the state semifinals, Jackson threw for 3,476 yards and 33 touchdowns (with just two interceptions) and also rushed for 921 yards and 24 touchdowns.

Arnold has maintained a 4.5 weighted GPA while serving as an officer in the Texas Young Men's Service League, which offers opportunities for mother and sons to perform community service.

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John E. Hoover
JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.

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