Brent Venables names Jackson Arnold starting QB for Oklahoma vs. Ole Miss

Oklahoma made changes at offensive coordinator ahead of Saturday’s game against Ole Miss, firing Seth Litrell following the South Carolina loss. Brent Venables is switching things up at quarterback too, going back to Jackson Arnold after benching him earlier in the year.

True freshman Michael Hawkins will return to the backup role after getting three starts, a stretch where the Sooners went 1-2 and mightily struggled offensively.

“Venables says Jackson Arnold will be the starting quarterback for the #Sooners on Saturday,” George Stoia of On3’s Sooner Scoop said via X.

Arnold has played in five games this season, completing 57.2% of his throws for 763 yards, eight touchdowns, and three interceptions. Playing against South Carolina burned his chance of redshirting for the 2024 season and preserving eligibility moving forward. He now gets another opportunity to start for Oklahoma.

“I told Coach V that if things were going to continue to go how they were, I didn’t want to take pointless snaps and burn a redshirt if it would be better for me to keep,” Arnold said on Saturday. “But I also told him that if you need me to come in and win a game, I was going to do that. I’ve invested so much in the team and I was going to be there for them regardless.”

While neither Arnold nor Hawkins have been great, quarterback play is just one of the many problems surrounding OU. A program-record nine sacks were given up against South Carolina and the offensive line has been a mess. Five key wide receivers have been injured for an extended period of time too, not giving either signal caller much from a weapon standpoint.

Oklahoma has five games remaining in the season, four of which are against ranked teams. Maine is the final nonconference opponent while Ole Miss, Missouri, Alabama, and LSU still remain on the SEC schedule. A brutal stretch for the Sooners, even if the offense was humming.