Jackson Arnold reflects on adversity he faced at Oklahoma, getting fresh start with Auburn

Jackson Arnold was one of the more highly-touted recruits in the country coming out of high school. A five-star recruit in the Class of 2023, he was the eighth-ranked player overall and the fourth-ranked quarterback in that recruiting cycle.

He took his talents to Oklahoma, where the quarterback flashed his talent at times.  Other times, however, his youth and need to develop did stand out. Benched at one point during the 2024 season, Arnold completed 62.6 percent of his passes in 10 games for 1,421 yards and 12 touchdowns to three interceptions. He also rushed for 444 yards and three touchdowns.

Now, he’s hoping a change of scenery at Auburn will go a long way for him and his career. Ahead of his first season with the Tigers, the transfer quarterback took some time to reflect on how the adversity he faced at Oklahoma prepared him for the upcoming season with his new team.

“There’s some pressure, for sure. But you know, for me, I have a whole year of college football under my belt, playing in the SEC too, at that. You’re not playing slouches every week. You have a tough schedule, every single week. I feel like last year, everything I went through, all the adversity I faced, really kind of built me up for this moment, this year,” Arnold stated, via SEC This Morning. “I’m just super excited to you know, get a fresh start and be around a new place, a new program that has some excitement around it. I’m trying to go out and play.”

It’s easy to see why Arnold is motivated to show what he can do with Auburn. From the moment the Tigers started recruiting him out of the portal, he knew this was the place for him, and he can’t wait to hit the field with his teammates.

“Everything (Hugh Freeze) said to me when I entered the portal was appealing to me,” Arnold added. “Whether it was the depth that we had on our on our roster, the depth that we had a receiver, offensive line, whatever it was. Going there and actually seeing the place. Seeing Auburn, seeing the town, seeing the facilities, being around the coaches. The biggest thing for me is I want to be in a place where I felt comfortable and I felt supported.

“For me, when I went and visited there and talked to Coach [Kent] Austin and Coach Freeze and Coach [Derrick] Nix and Jesse [Stone] and all those guys, and being around them, I knew this place that I wanted to be. All that was confirmed when I came and went through spring ball with the coaches and the players, and the players really welcomed me with open arms. It’s really awesome to see them embrace me coming in.

“They could be closed off, bringing a new quarterback in, but they welcomed me with open arms. They’re excited and ready to get to work.”

Jackson Arnold is more motivated than ever, and Auburn is hoping for a bounce back season in 2025. It seems like a perfect match. We’ll see if the quarterback and the team as a whole can come through when the pressure is on.

— On3’s Dan Morrison contributed to this article.