How Oklahoma Sooners' Jackson Arnold has already started to prove doubters wrong just a few snaps into 2024

The Oklahoma Sooners know what they have on their hands. But, not everyone else knows. There is a reason that Dillon Gabriel transferred away from OU and to Oregon. It has nothing to do with one of the teams being worse than the other, or better, but the fact that the quarterback situation was better, as […]

Justin Churchill College Football & NFL Trending News Writer
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Oklahoma Sooners Jackson Arnold
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma Sooners know what they have on their hands. But, not everyone else knows. There is a reason that Dillon Gabriel transferred away from OU and to Oregon. 

It has nothing to do with one of the teams being worse than the other, or better, but the fact that the quarterback situation was better, as the Sooners were going to make the talented, former five-star quarterback, Arnold, their quarterback of the future, who already has the mentality of a veteran guy.

With just one full game coming into this season under Arnold's belt, and that game being one that saw him have four turnovers, the doubters came out. Oklahoma didn't have a lot of their starters in that game, and it was a bowl game against a very good Arizona team.

The doubters are out, and they all think that Arnold is going to be an average to bad quarterback, if not worse, just based on that game. But, he was a true freshman playing his first-ever game. Now, he's a starter, and he's ready to prove everyone wrong.

Arnold was a highly sought-after recruit, initially rated as a four-star but later reclassified as a five-star recruit. He committed to Oklahoma over 25 other scholarship offers. His high school career was highlighted by winning the Landry Award for the top high school football player in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and MVP of the Elite 11 quarterback competition.

His first significant college action came in the 2023 season opener against Arkansas State, where he completed all 11 passes for 114 yards and a touchdown, also rushing for 39 yards and another touchdown. Now, he's playing the Temple Owls, and he's already starting to prove the doubters wrong, just a few snaps into the game.

After just a few plays, Arnold found Jalil Farooq down field for a big play of 47 yards, in what was a perfect pass fit right in the bread basket where only Farooq could catch it.

Arnold isn't just blowing everyone away, but he's playing great, and that's all you need right out of the gates.

Jackson Arnold

Five wildcard Sooners who could shift Oklahoma’s first season heading into the SEC

The Oklahoma Sooners feature plenty of proven, veteran talents on both sides of the ball. Players like Danny Stutsman, Billy Bowman, Ethan Downs, and Jalil Farooq have been with the Sooners for years and have proven their ability to make plays.  However, the Sooners have several players who are relatively unproven. These players could swing […]