Brent Venables gives intriguing answer when asked about Jackson Arnold's spot on depth chart
Of the first-year head coaches, Brent Venables might have been the most impressive on the recruiting trail. He was able to land Oklahoma a top-10 class as the Sooners gear up for an SEC move before the 2024 season. No signing might end up more important than quarterback Jackson Arnold.
Early returns on Arnold are positive according to Venables. He said there has been no time wasted making an impression on the Oklahoma coaching staff. While Arnold might be near the bottom of the depth chart due to his eligibility status, Venables does not see that being true for long.
“He’s a doer. He’s ambitious,” Venables said. “He’s not waiting on anybody, he’s not waiting to be great… He’s at the back of the line right now, but probably not for long.”
There is always a learning curve for players, especially when jumping from high school to college. Arnold is facing the challenge as Oklahoma prepares for spring practice to begin on March 22. Getting on the same page with offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby seems to be the focus at the moment.
“Biggest adjustment is the terminology,” Arnold said. “Obviously, our play names aren’t the same as Coach Lebby’s play names and signals. The biggest emphasis they’ve had so far is us talking the same language when we speak about plays.
“Whether it’s how we talk about defenses or how we talk about certain field position. Stuff like that has just been crucial for me learning the offense.”
Jackson Arnold potentially rising to backup quarterback
Of course, Dillon Gabriel will be the starter for Oklahoma next season. He and Lebby are close to one another dating back to their days at UCF. When healthy, Gabriel proved he can compete at the highest level in the Big 12.
It’s easy to remember the trouble Oklahoma ran into heading into Texas week this season. When Gabriel was out with a concussion, Venables and Lebby were scrambling to figure out a plan at quarterback. The results were not favorable, producing an embarrassing blowout loss at the Cotton Bowl.
If a similar scenario does arise again with Gabriel, Oklahoma will be better prepared. Arnold has not been on campus too long and Venables is speaking highly of the quarterback. A positive sign in Norman.
Arnold played high school football at Denton (TX) Guyer, where he was a Five-Star Plus+ prospect. He was the No. 8 overall recruit in the 2023 cycle, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.