The Oklahoma Sooners surprised the college football world by firing offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle. Most people knew the move was coming. It was a matter of when, not if. Nobody knew whether it would happen this week, next week, or at the end of the season, but almost everyone had a feeling it was going to happen.

Two straight seasons of bad offensive football will do that. The blame has to fall on somebody, even if it doesn’t all belong to Arbuckle. To be fair, some of it didn’t. At times, Arbuckle hid some of the flaws of quarterback John Mateer and the offensive line. He did a good job in many ways, and he will be an offensive coordinator again. Still, a move was needed.

Jason Witten takes over the Sooners’ offense

With Arbuckle gone, tight ends coach Jason Witten is now Oklahoma’s interim offensive coordinator and play caller. That could turn into something special. Witten essentially gets an audition to become the full-time offensive coordinator next season. It could also go badly.

In that case, Witten likely goes back to coaching the tight ends, and OU goes out and finds a new offensive coordinator. It’s impossible to predict which way this goes right now. Regardless, the move will impact the Sooners in ways that go beyond what happens on the field.

Ben Arbuckle’s firing puts OU’s 2027 recruiting class at risk

Arbuckle was a good recruiter. Look at the players he recruited over the last two years, including the ones he landed commitments from. Oklahoma is in jeopardy of losing some of them.

So far, no one has decommitted. However, many of the elite prospects in the Sooners’ 2027 recruiting class had some kind of relationship with Arbuckle. The class sits around sixth in the country, and much of that ranking traces back to him, especially on offense. The biggest name to watch is quarterback Jamison Roberts. Here’s a look at his profile:

• Hometown: Mobile, Alabama – Size: 6-2, 215 pounds – Composite rating: 90 – National ranking: Top 160 – Position ranking: Top-6 quarterback – State ranking: Top 15 in Alabama (some have him in the top 5)

So, is OU going to lose him? According to Rivals, Roberts was recently asked about his commitment.

“No comment at this time,” Roberts said.

Nobody should blame Roberts if he decommits

That answer doesn’t confirm anything either way, but it also isn’t a vote of confidence. Roberts doesn’t have to tell anybody what he’s doing, and he shouldn’t feel pressure to.

If he does end up decommitting, nobody should blame him. Arbuckle was his coach. He’s the one Roberts built a relationship with, and now he’s gone. Roberts is still a kid, and nobody should go after him for whatever he decides. This is his future. If he suddenly isn’t sure about his commitment, everyone should want him to make the best decision for himself.

Maybe that decision doesn’t involve Oklahoma. Maybe he stays and becomes the Sooners’ next starting quarterback. Nobody knows yet.

Either way, the next few weeks matter. Now it’s time to watch whether any of these commits start to leave, and how many. Roberts isn’t decommitting right now, but keep an eye on him, because the entire country will come after him the moment he reopens his recruitment.