Brent Venables on Jackson Arnold’s potential future with Oklahoma, overcoming adversity

It has been an interesting year for Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold. The former five-star recruit entered the 2024 season with high expectations, but he struggled and was eventually benched four games into the season.

After serving as a backup QB for a month, Arnold played most of the game against South Carolina on Oct. 19 and has regained his starting role, with mixed results.

Arnold was named a captain for Saturday’s game against Alabama, signaling what his coaches and teammates think about him as a leader and competitor. Sooners coach Brent Venables was asked about naming Jackson Arnold a captain during his press conference on Tuesday. He was also asked what that decision says about Arnold’s future in Norman.

“I don’t know what the future holds, you know. We love Jackson and we believe in him. But it’s a sign that he’s one of our best leaders that we have on the team,” Brent Venables said. “There’s plenty of guys [that have] gone through rough spots that still have the ability to lead, fight and compete. So that goes along with that position, as well. But representing the offensive side of the ball, those are two of our best leaders – Troy Everett and Jackson Arnold.”

For the season, Arnold is completing 61 percent of his passes. He’s thrown for 1,243 yards, with 12 touchdowns and three interceptions. Venables feels that struggling and being benched could end up being a positive experience for Arnold as he finishes off his college career.

He did acknowledge that being the starting quarterback at a place like Oklahoma isn’t easy.

“He’s no different than any other player, other than he’s the face. You know, that goes along with that position at a place like the University of Oklahoma. So that’s a position that’s a little bit kind of like the head coach position,” Venables said. “There’s a different type of microscope, there’s a different type of focus. And that’s OK. He’s got broad shoulders to handle that. But improving and developing, making mistakes, learning from the good and the bad, that’s gonna be an ongoing process for the rest of his career.”

Venables added that he’s continuing to work to build Arnold’s confidence back up. Oklahoma also needs to be better around Arnold, according to Venables.

“It’s a daily task. He’s got a huge part in that experience and the development and improving, taking ownership. You can’t deflect it. You have to have great self-awareness, you have to have great humility,” Venables said. “And then you have to have respect for what I need to do, his part, in order to improve. And then it’s not just him, it’s everybody around him.”