Former five-star quarterback Jackson Arnold’s short time with the Oklahoma Sooners officially came to an end on Saturday, when he committed to and signed with the Auburn Tigers.
The young QB, who was supposed to be the face of the program for at least two seasons and lead OU into the Southeastern Conference, will now be trying to help Hugh Freeze and the Tigers improve upon their 5-7 season in 2024.
He ended up starting a total of ten games in an OU uniform after serving as the backup during his freshman season in 2023. He went just 5-5 overall as a starter. Just two of those wins came against power conference teams, and only one was against a team from the SEC. 2024 was supposed to be the year that he broke onto the scene, but it simply didn’t happen.
However, there are many who still believe in Arnold’s potential and what he can do at Auburn.
FOX Sports college football analyst Joel Klatt thinks that Arnold can still be successful, but he also has some questions. He appeared as a guest on The Next Round podcast and remarked that it was hard to say for sure whether Arnold would live up to his potential with the Tigers.
“My biggest question is going to be his confidence,” Klatt said. “I’m wondering what happened to his psyche during the course of this year.”
Arnold’s confidence appeared shaken a couple of times in 2024, most notably against Tennessee and later in the season against Missouri. In some of the biggest moments for the Sooners, Arnold was turnover-prone and made mistakes that cost OU dearly.
However, he played very well against Alabama and looked more confident in his second stint as the starter for the final five games of the regular season.
“I think he can have a lot of success,” Klatt said. “It remains to be seen.”
Oklahoma’s quarterback room in 2024 consisted of five players. With Jackson Arnold and Brendan Zurbrugg opting for the transfer portal and Casey Thompson out of eligibility, it’ll be undergoing another makeover in 2025.
Michael Hawkins Jr. will return, and the Sooners signed Jett Niu as a part of their 2025 recruiting class earlier this month. Steele Wasel, a walk-on, could return as well, but OU will need to add at least on portal QB to fill out the room again.
That likely includes a player who will either be the starter or compete to be the starter under OC Ben Arbuckle as Oklahoma tries to bounce back at the position in 2025.
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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Joel Klatt believes Jackson Arnold can still have success
