Jackson Arnold on the pressure of playing quarterback at Oklahoma: 'Just block it out'

Jackson Arnold enters 2024 with a target on his back as the first-year starting quarterback of the Oklahoma Sooners.

One year ago, he was just arriving in Norman as a true freshman trying to learn Oklahoma’s offense behind Dillon Gabriel. Now, he’s been given the reigns as OU’s full-time starter. Given his youth and inexperience on the field for the Sooners, questions of how he’ll deal with the pressure of starting quarterback at a school that has produced two Heisman Trophy winners at the position since 2017.

“Just block it out,” Arnold said of his plan to separate himself from outside noise. “Woodi Washington sent me a DM. It was a quote from Kobe [Bryant] that said, ‘It’s only pressure if you put in on yourself.’ So really it’s just about blocking it out, not putting pressure on yourself and staying level-headed.”

During the small sample size that fans have been given of Arnold over the past year, he has looked impressive.

Arnold looked strong in the spring game, as Oklahoma’s offense was dominant under the guide of the sophomore gunslinger. It didn’t take long for Arnold to connect with junior wide receiver Deion Burks — who just transferred into the program from Purdue — for a 64-yard touchdown during the opening possession. The duo would hook up for another big-time scoring play, this time going for 50 yards in the second quarter.

Ultimately, Arnold finished the contest 10 for 20 with 233 yards and the two aforementioned touchdowns to Burks. Burks ended the day with five catches for a whopping 174 yards to go with his two scores. Sooners fans might get used to hearing about that connection this season.

As a true freshman, Arnold logged one start last season, which came in the Valero Alamo Bowl game against Arizona. He was given a heavy workload during the matchup, throwing 45 passes for 361 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions in a losing effort against a ranked Wildcats squad.

Impressively, however, the first appearance of his collegiate career saw him complete all 11 of his passes for 114 yards and a touchdown in the 73-0 season-opening win against Arkansas State last season. It’s a promising start for the new QB1 in Norman.

Fans won’t have to wait long to see Arnold back in action. The Sooners kick off their 2024 regular season at home against Temple during a special Friday night kickoff on Aug. 30 set for 7 p.m. ET live on ESPN.