The Future: Jackson Arnold

Over the past 6 years, the Oklahoma Sooners have earned the nickname QBU (quarterback university) for a good reason. Baker Mayfield, the Heisman winner and #1 NFL draft pick. Kyler Murray, the Heisman winner and #1 draft pick after just one season as the starter. Jalen Hurts, the Alabama national champion, OU Heisman runner-up, second-round draft pick, and one of the MVP front-runners in this NFL season. The Sooners have become accustomed to star quarterbacks playing in Norman. In this list of stars, a new name could soon be added to the list: Jackson Arnold.

Photo credit to The Dallas Morning News.

Jackson Arnold is a consensus 5-star quarterback coming out of Denton, Texas. All primary recruiting services (247Sports, Rivals, On3, and ESPN) have him at five stars. He dominated some of the best schools in 6A Texas High School Football. He was awarded Elite 11 MVP. After putting up video game numbers in some of his games, his high school career has come to an end, and he is preparing to bring those skills to Norman.

I reached out to Jackson Arnold to interview him about how he's preparing for OU, and he was gracious enough to respond and answer my questions.

Q: You had a historic season this year. Your numbers absolutely exploded. What clicked between last year and this year that really elevated your play?

A: "Personally I think just having a year of experience underneath my belt really helped my confidence and calmness in games this year that helped elevate my play."

Q: It's not often a true freshman comes into a school like OU and wins the starting job. What are you looking forward to learning from Dillon Gabriel and others in the QB room? And if you win the starting job, how are you preparing to dominate the college football world?

A: "I'm just looking forward to learning everything I can under Dillon and just becoming a better football player overall"

Q: Who is the College/NFL QB from which you draw the most inspiration?

A: "I really love watching Aaron Rodgers play"

Follow up question: Why Aaron Rodgers?

A: "I just love the way he throws the ball, seems effortless"

Q: You're going to be in Norman at least the next 3 years. Where are you looking forward to hanging out or eating the most?

A: "Louie's is my favorite spot in Norman right now, the food is fantastic"

In his Senior Season, Arnold threw for 3,476 yards and 33 touchdowns with only two interceptions. Running the ball, he had 921 total yards and 24 touchdowns (Shawn McFarland, On3). Combine the two? 4,397 yards and 57 touchdowns for which he was responsible.

When watching his film, you see offensive production similar to what the Sooners do year in and year out. A lot of RPO's and shots down the field. Jackson Arnold executes this offense to perfection. Making accurate throws under pressure, hitting his receivers in stride 40 yards down field, and taking off to run have all made him a nearly unstoppable QB. Being the biggest recruit of the Brent Venables era and coming in right before we make the move to the SEC, the Sooners have potentially found a way to continue their dominance in college football, and potentially bring home an 8th national championship.