Sources: Oklahoma hires Arbuckle, 29, as new OC

Oklahoma has agreed to a three-year deal to make Washington State’s Ben Arbuckle the school’s new offensive coordinator, sources told ESPN on Monday.

The move comes in the wake of Oklahoma struggling significantly on offense in its initial season in the SEC, as they finished No. 15 of 16 teams in both scoring offense and total offense. He replaces Seth Littrell, who was fired in late October as Oklahoma was on its way to a 2-6 season in the SEC and a 6-6 overall finish.

In the 29-year-old Arbuckle, Oklahoma lands one of the country’s top young coordinators and playcallers. Washington State finished No. 12 nationally in scoring offense this year, No. 9 in passing efficiency and No. 22 in total offense. Washington State had great success with quarterback John Mateer, as he threw for 3,139 yards and 29 touchdowns. Mateer is a sophomore from Little Elm, Texas, who would have high-profile options if he were to enter the NCAA transfer portal.

Last season under Arbuckle, Cam Ward threw for 3,735 yards and 29 touchdowns.

In Arbuckle, Oklahoma gets a precocious offensive playcaller who previously served as the co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Western Kentucky. In 2022, WKU quarterback Austin Reed led the national in passing yards with 4,746.

The hire is a key one for Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables moving forward in the SEC, as he’s 22-16 overall through three seasons. Venables, a defensive coach by trade, promoted internally to move Littrell to offensive coordinator this year.