Brent Venables is refusing to change his stance on Jackson Arnold and the season they had in 2024
The Oklahoma Sooners battle against the Auburn Tigers this weekend. Head coach Brent Venables was asked about his former starting quarterback Jackson Arnold.
The Oklahoma Sooners have made quite the turnaround from what we saw from the team during the 2024 college football season. Head coach Brent Venables has put his team in a position to potentially get him off of the hot seat. The difficult part of the schedule, however, is just about to begin. There are several tough challenges on the horizon.
With the Auburn Tigers and starting quarterback Jackson Arnold on the schedule for this weekend, it wasn’t surprising to hear Venables being asked about his former signal caller. If you think back to last season, it was a huge disappointment for Arnold, a former five-star recruit. Venables consistently stood up for Arnold and passed the blame for the situation he was put in. Several things were out of his control.
Venables continued to back his former quarterback on Wednesday during media availability.
“I think he’s the same guy,” Venables told the media. “I think he’s got a healthy football team around him, and he’s having great success running, throwing, being really efficient, and he’s taking care of the ball.”
Even when pressed further, Venables remained consistent in his perspective. The Oklahoma staff clearly understood that they failed to put a good enough roster on the field last season, which is why there was such a roster overhaul. It also didn’t help that your team dealt with so many injuries a year ago, either.
“The only thing I wish was different was we had a healthy football team,” Venables reiterated. “A lot of it was out of our control.”
A new Jackson Arnold
So far this season, Arnold has shown some tremendous growth as a football player. His biggest impact has come on the ground, rushing for 192 yards and four touchdowns through three games, an average of 5.5 yards per carry. Arnold has a very strong offensive line in front of him, which has made things relatively easy for him.
As a passer, Arnold has been pretty efficient so far. He has managed to pass for 501 yards and four touchdowns, completing nearly 70 percent of his passes without an interception. The Tigers staff hasn’t, however, asked him to do much in that department yet. Arnold is averaging just 167 passing yards per game through three weeks. A lot more should be put on his plate this weekend.
For Arnold, even though there appears to be no bad feelings, you know who wants to have a little bit of revenge. For the Sooners, facing their former quarterback adds another layer to the game. It should be an entertaining one, especially with John Mateer behind center for them now.
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