Brent Venables addresses going up against Jackson Arnold in Auburn game: 'It's not about Jackson'

Jackson Arnold walking into Gaylord Memorial Stadium is nothing new for him. Sitting down in the visitors’ locker room might be, though. Arnold makes his return to Oklahoma on Saturday afternoon as a member of the Auburn Tigers, a game when you have to imagine emotions will be high.

Sooners head coach Brent Venables is attempting to stay away from the narrative, though. He says the main storyline involves the two teams playing — Auburn and Oklahoma. In his mind, this game is not about Arnold coming back and facing his old program, despite the love.

“It’s not about Jackson,” Barnes said via George Stoia of On3’s Sooner Scoop. “… I love him, I love his family… This is about Oklahoma and Auburn.”

Arnold was a fan favorite in Norman for a long time, going back to his recruitment. His Five-Star Plus+ status made him the quarterback in waiting before even setting foot on campus. So, when Dillon Gabriel decided to leave, the keys were handed out to Arnold without much hesitation.

Emotions quickly turned in Oklahoma’s SEC opener last season against Tennessee. Venables decided to go to his bench, calling upon Michael Hawkins. The move stuck for a few weeks until the Sooners lost in Dallas to Texas in the Red River Shootout. Arnold spent the rest of the year as OU’s starter before entering the NCAA transfer portal.

The goal for Venables might be to keep the game everybody’s main focus. However, players are still being asked about going up against their former teammate. Running back Jovantae Barnes admitted it will be “crazy” but also defended how Arnold managed the whole situation.

“People are going to have some things to say about you,” Barnes said. “But I think he did a great job with just being him and being who he is and what he’s good at. Like I said, I’m proud of where he’s at and what he’s doing. So, I’m looking forward to playing against him and seeing him after the game.”

Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT. The two teams are desperately looking to start their SEC schedule with a win, wanting to propel themselves in the conference title race early on. Arnold figures to play a massive role in who winds up winning.

For now, it’s all business on Venables’ end. After the game, there might be a few hugs going around between some old friends.