Brent Venables names Jackson Arnold among early fall camp standouts

While Oklahoma is pretty settled at the starting quarterback spot going into 2023 thanks to the return of Dillon Gabriel, the arrival of five-star freshman quarterback Jackson Arnold has still been met with significant fanfare.

Arnold was the nation’s No. 8 overall recruit in the 2023 class and the fourth-ranked quarterback. He’s apparently turning heads early in fall camp.

“Jackson had a couple balls here yesterday and today where he’s thrown guys open and thrown it before they’re open and how’d he see that,” coach Brent Venables said. “So he’s made some good plays.”

Arnold is a 6-foot-1, 205-pound freshman from Guyer High School in Lantana, Texas.

He’s got all the tools, with a live arm and a quick release to go along with a considerable amount of toughness. He’s probably not quite as improvisational as the On3 player comparison, Baker Mayfield, but that’s a good comp to go off of.

Venables has seen his freshman, Jackson Arnold, make leaps and bounds already in just the first few days of fall camp.

“Just seeing him get better,” Venables said. “Again, that’s what you see, a guy that’s improving and getting better. That doesn’t sound sexy but that’s very important and not everybody does. He certainly hasn’t been perfect, but I think probably a lot more consistent. He’s, generally speaking if you stand back and watch, making better decisions and a little more patient. Sometimes making the decision faster when we’ve got Comanche in or whatever blitz package and things are going crazy in front of his face, making good decisions at the right time.

“So all of those things I think he’s getting more and more comfortable, more consistent. Then he’s made some instinctual plays as well.”

For Venables, one of the messages early in fall camp has been to just go make plays. Too often last year Oklahoma players sat around and waited for something to happen.

The second-year Oklahoma coach wants to see his players a bit more aggressive in taking advantage of any opportunity. Jackson Arnold seems to be doing just that.

“I love to see guys make plays, because that’s the game,” Venables said. “If all things are equal, who’s going to make a play. That’s the name of the game. We’re going to give them a whole bunch of layups, don’t freaking airball a layup. We’ve got to get out of our own way. That’s Oklahoma not losing to Oklahoma, and that’s a real thing. We’ve got to do that first. We’ve got to not be in the red on a hydration test on the second morning of fall camp. That can’t happen.”