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Eli Lederman, ESPN Staff Writer
Oklahoma’s Brent Venables confirmed Tuesday that he has discussed the possibility of a redshirt with sophomore quarterback Jackson Arnold, but he said that the former five-star prospect will continue to be an option for the Sooners under center over the second half of the regular season.
“It’s been discussed between us,” Venables said Tuesday morning. “What was told to Jackson is if we put you in, it’s because we need you to help us go win. We’re certainly sensitive to everything. We’re not sitting here with our head in the sand or naive to what it is. But man, he’s a great teammate. He wants to be the starting quarterback at the University of Oklahoma.”
Oklahoma’s quarterback situation remains under focus after the Sooners’ 34-3 defeat to No. 1 Texas in Week 7 with freshman Michael Hawkins’ Jr. at quarterback. Arnold has not appeared in a game since he was benched after committing three turnovers in the first half of a 25-15 loss to Tennessee on Sept. 21. Oklahoma enters Week 8 ranked 125th nationally in yards per game (287.7) as the Sooners (4-2) prepare for a visit from South Carolina on Saturday.
Following the loss to Texas, Venables said he did not consider replacing Hawkins with Arnold as the Sooners went scoreless over the final three quarters in their fifth-largest defeat all-time to the Longhorns. Venables reiterated that point Tuesday, emphasizing the importance of giving Hawkins a fair shot in the starting job while praising Arnold’s response in the time since his Week 4 benching.
“I feel that it’s only right to give Mike the opportunity to be the quarterback and to have a body of work that says he either is or isn’t the right guy,” Venables said. “Will he learn from his past mistakes? Every week is a season of its own, as we know. Every opponent is going to present different issues and problems.”
“Jackson’s been fantastic all things considered,” Venables continued on Arnold. “He’s taken it in a really tough-minded way. And he’s ready to play. And if he wasn’t he wouldn’t still be here every day.”
Arnold has appeared in four games this fall, meaning he would burn a potential redshirt if he were to play again over the Sooners’ final six regular season games.
ESPN’s No. 3 overall prospect in the 2023 class, Arnold made his first career start in the Alamo Bowl last December and was named the Sooners’ starting quarterback prior to the season. He completed 59.8% of his passes for 538 yards with seven touchdowns and three interceptions in four starts this fall prior to his benching against Tennessee.
Hawkins, Oklahoma’s starter against Auburn and Texas in recent weeks, carries a completion percentage of 63.4 with 458 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. The true freshman has also added 118 yards on the ground and committed his first turnover on a fumble before halftime against Texas. Through six games, the Sooners’ 165.7 passing yards per game rank last among SEC offenses.
Hawkins will be back under center when Oklahoma resumes its search for a first SEC win against South Carolina (3-3) at 12:45 p.m. ET Saturday on the SEC Network.