The news that Jackson Arnold is leaving the Oklahoma Sooners for the transfer portal is, in a word, unexpected. His first full year as the starter for Oklahoma Sooners football was a difficult one. As a former five-star recruit, the expectations were exceedingly high and many feel he hadn’t lived up to them. So, what does this mean? More importantly, where does he go next?
Jackson Arnold Enters The Transfer Portal
Why Is Arnold Entering the Transfer Portal?
The current word around campus is that the driving force behind Arnold’s decision to enter the portal is the hiring of Ben Arbuckle. The former Washington State coach is joining the Oklahoma Sooners for 2025 as the offensive coordinator. There’s also speculation that Washington State’s John Mateer is coming in alongside Arbuckle. Mateer is a more experienced and versatile quarterback who has previous experience with Arbuckle. With Arnold’s exit from the program, there may be a good deal of truth to this theory.
If it turns out that Mateer isn’t joining Arbuckle, this creates a massive amount of chaos for the 2025 season. Behind Arnold on the depth chart are Hawkins, Brendan Zurbrugg, and the newly signed three-star Jett Niu from Utah. Niu signed on Wednesday morning, flipping his commitment from Oklahoma State to the Sooners.
The Position Battle
During his first real season, Arnold found himself in a position battle. After three straight turnovers to Tennessee, Head Coach Brent Venables benched Arnold. Michael Hawkins Jr., a freshman, was sent out in his place. The following weeks would see a position battle to see who could hold onto the role. Oftentimes, this meant switching quarterbacks mid-game.
Ultimately, Arnold won out. However, in light of him entering the transfer portal, one has to wonder if this was the cause of a divide between himself and Venables. Even in today’s world, trust is everything in college football. When your head coach personally pulls you from a game, it can do a lot to damage that trust.
Arnold’s Final Oklahoma Sooners Season
In total, Arnold was able to complete only 154 passes this year. For comparison, a near-winless Oklahoma State‘s Alan Bowman has 204 completions. The 6-6 Nebraksa Cornhuskers‘ Dylan Raiola is at 253 and the 6-6 USC Trojans‘ Miller Moss is at 233. Arnold commonly completes around 10-18 passes per game.
Arnold also ranks fifth nationally for fumbles this year, at nine total. This puts him behind South Carolina‘s LaNorris Sellers, who has the most nationally at eleven total fumbles. However, it still has him losing the ball more often than Kent State‘s Tommy Ulatowski. Arnold is also in the top 100 for total interceptions thrown.
On the positive side, Arnold has proven to be an excellent runner. From game to game, Arnold was either the leading or the second-best rusher for the Oklahoma Sooners. How and why he ended up at a school that was based almost exclusively on a pass-heavy playbook is anyone’s guess.
Nobody, except Joe Jon Finley, seems to have been interested in addressing the fundamental issues, though. Littrell had plenty of chances to readjust his game plan or work to Arnold’s strengths. This lack of support to work to his strengths is likely to have greatly contributed to his decision to leave.
While Arnold hasn’t been a bust, it’s clear that the Littrell-Finley program would not let him live up to his potential. It will be interesting to see which team chooses to snap him up next because, in his recruiting cycle, he was receiving offers from almost every team in the nation.
Who Could Choose Jackson Arnold From The Transfer Portal?
Florida State Seminoles. After being allegedly snubbed from post-season contention last year, nothing’s been quite right in Florida. Just like the Sooners this year, the Seminoles have been undergoing a difficult season. At 2-10 and 1-7, they’re among the worst in the nation. They’re looking to rebuild under former UCF head coach Gus Malzahn and Head Coach Mike Norvell. Given that DJ Uiagalelei is about to run out of total eligibility, this could be an excellent opportunity for Arnold to hop in at the top of the chart.
Mississippi State. As usual, Mississippi State is finishing at the bottom of the SEC. The addition of former Sooners coordinator Jeff Lebby only did so much to improve things. However, Lebby had a huge part in recruiting Arnold. If Arnold wants a spot playing for a team in need of an experienced quarterback, and way less pressure, he may find exactly that in Mississippi State.
Oklahoma State Cowboys. The more ‘unexpected’ of all the options. If Arnold wants to stay close to home but play a pivotal role in a rebuild, then Mike Gundy and Stillwater would welcome him with open arms. Although current quarterback Alan Bowman and Arnold have similar stats this season, Arnold could be a steal for the Cowboys.
Last Word On Jackson Arnold
Wherever Arnold ends up, the Sooners certainly have to be sorry to see him leave. Arbuckle’s offensive schemes are tailor-made for Arnold’s current skills. With Arnold and so many other big stars leaving this year, such as Danny Stutsman, the Oklahoma Sooners could be in real danger. The transfer portal is an ominous beast in modern sports, and Oklahoma may be about to get its first real taste of just how dangerous it can be.
