Jackson Arnold shares what he told Brent Venables about playing, burning redshirt

Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold has been on a journey this season. After beginning the year as starter, Arnold was benched in favor of Michael Hawkins in Week 4 against Tennessee after committing three turnovers.

Hawkins went on to start the next three games, including Saturday against South Carolina. But after Hawkins committed a fumble and an interception to start the game, the Sooners called upon Arnold to turn things around.

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OU was already down 21-0 when Arnold entered and went on to lose by a score of 35-9. But he finished with a season-high 225 yards passing and a touchdown while completing 18-of-36 passes. Speaking postgame, Arnold opened up on the roller coaster of emotions he faced over the past couple of weeks from being benched to ultimately getting a second shot.

“Probably the toughest few weeks of my life,” the QB said. “A lot of soul-searching. A lot of diving into what I really care about, what I really care for. I’ve leaned heavily on my relationships. Family, friends, God, all of the above. Like I said, it was the hardest couple weeks of my life. But character building. That’s the way I see it as. I trust the plan that God has for me. I’m just going out there and preparing the same way and being there for my friends and my family.”

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By playing in Saturday’s contest, Arnold forfeited he right to redshirt as it was the fifth game he appeared in this season. He will now enter 2025 as a junior with two years of eligibility remaining regardless of whether he stays at Oklahoma or decides to transfer.

That was a conversation he has with coach Brent Venables following his benching. Arnold made clear that he didn’t want to play “pointless snaps” such as entering the game during a blowout if he knew the job wasn’t his. However, he didn’t view entering Saturday’s game that way.

“I told coach V that if things were to continue to go like how they were, I didn’t want to take pointless snaps and burn a redshirt if it was there for me to keep,” he said. “But I also told him, ‘If you need me to come in for anything in the game, I’m gonna be there.’ I’ve invested so much in the team and I was going to be there for them regardless.”

It seems that Jackson Arnold made have an opportunity to reclaim the starting quarterback job going forward based on those comments. Either way, Oklahoma needs some life to its offense after losing three of its past four games.

The Sooners next have a matchup against Ole Miss at noon ET next Saturday in Oxford.