Brent Venables: Jackson Arnold 'dealt a really bad hand,' had 'no chance' to be successful at OU

Jackson Arnold traded in his Sooners red and cream for a different pair of SEC threads this offseason. The former Oklahoma quarterback will be the starter at Auburn in 2025 after hitting the NCAA transfer portal at the end of last year.

Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables opened up about Arnold’s brief stint in Norman, and was brutally honest about the reasons that led to his departure. He gave a surprisingly definitive answer about why his former QB1 departed the program.

“Unfortunately for him, everything around him wasn’t helping him be successful,” Venables said of Arnold at SEC Media Days. “So he had no chance in some ways, under the circumstances, and (got) dealt a really bad hand.”

2024 was Arnold’s first and only season as Oklahoma’s starter. As a true freshman in 2023, he backed up current Cleveland Browns QB Dillon Gabriel. Arnold went on to play 10 games for Oklahoma after splitting time with freshman Michael Hawkins Jr. once SEC play began.

The Sooners were just 5-5 in games he played in. He missed three games last season, including the game against Texas, Auburn and Navy (Armed Forces Bowl). Arnold finished the season with 1,421 passing yards, 12 touchdowns and three interceptions. In the end, Arnold appeared in 16 games for the Sooners before entering the portal.

“Sharon and Todd, they’re amazing people. Hate what happened,” Venables said. “We wanted to keep him, we tried to keep him, but I think he just needed a fresh start. I don’t want to speak for him, but he was wonderful. Never once was I disappointed in him.

“He handled one of the toughest moments of his athletic life in an amazing first-class way. And I know this without reservation, he’s going to play this game a long time at a really high level.” 

Interestingly, Oklahoma will host Auburn in the SEC opener on Sept 20, meaning it Arnold will be in Norman looking to beat the program he committed to out of high school. Arnold has said that he feels no animosity toward OU for how last season went down and is looking forward to playing inside Memorial Stadium at least one more time.

Based on Venables comments, it seems Arnold’s departure was a win-win for everybody. Arnold gets a fresh start at a respected SEC program, and the Sooners get to move forward with their own transfer quarterback, John Mateer.