JUMP TO:
- Why did Jackson Arnold transfer from Oklahoma to Auburn?
- Jackson Arnold stats
- Jackson Arnold recruitment
- What has Arnold said about returning to face his former team?
College football players often face their former teams. With the prevalence of transfers in today’s game, it’s not unusual for a high-profile player to line up against his old program.
One example is former Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold, who now plays for the Auburn Tigers, facing the Sooners in Norman. Arnold, who spent two seasons at Oklahoma before transferring to Auburn, has made an immediate impact with his new team.
Here’s a look at why Arnold left Oklahoma for Auburn and what he said about facing his former team in the lead up to the game.
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Why did Jackson Arnold transfer from Oklahoma to Auburn?
Arnold spent two seasons at Oklahoma, in 2023 and 2024. As a true freshman in 2023, he backed up Dillon Gabriel.
After Gabriel transferred to Oregon, Arnold earned his first start in the Alamo Bowl against Arizona. It was a mixed performance — he threw for 361 yards and two touchdowns but also tossed three interceptions in a 38-24 loss.
At the start of the 2024 season, head coach Brent Venables named Arnold the starter. In his first three games, wins over Temple, Houston and Tulane, he threw for a combined 484 yards with six touchdowns and two interceptions, adding two rushing scores against Tulane.
But in Oklahoma’s home game against then-No. 6 Tennessee on Sept. 21, Arnold was benched for backup Michael Hawkins Jr. after completing just seven passes for 54 yards with an interception. He remained on the bench for the next three games, though he did replace Hawkins during a 35-9 loss to South Carolina.
Arnold was reinstated as the starter ahead of a road trip to Ole Miss and finished out the season under center. His numbers, however, were underwhelming. He was held to fewer than 100 yards passing against Missouri and Alabama in November and was sacked 16 times over his final five starts.
Oklahoma limped to a 6-6 finish, losing three of its final five games.
Two days after Venables hired a new offensive coordinator, Ben Arbuckle, in early December, Arnold entered the transfer portal.
"I had one conversation with Jackson, and he was great," Arbuckle said earlier this week of his brief interaction with Arnold. "He was super respectful, but that's really about kind of where it ended. One of those deals where he felt like he needed a chance for whatever reason it was. And all I've heard from everybody is that he's a great young man."
Oklahoma and Arbuckle have since moved on with John Mateer at quarterback, who transferred from Washington State.
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Jackson Arnold stats
While Auburn has played just three games against Baylor, Ball State and South Alabama, Arnold's numbers have improved. His best outing came against Ball State, throwing for 251 yards with three touchdowns in a 42-3 win.
He also had two rushing touchdowns against Baylor and South Alabama.
| Season | Team | G | Cmp% | Yds | TD | Int | Rush Yds | Rush TDs |
| 2023 | Oklahoma | 7 | 63.8 | 563 | 4 | 3 | 116 | 1 |
| 2024 | Oklahoma | 10 | 62.6 | 1,421 | 12 | 3 | 444 | 3 |
| 2025 | Auburn | 3 | 69.6 | 501 | 4 | 0 | 192 | 4 |
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Jackson Arnold recruitment
Arnold was a highly-touted recruit from the class of 2023. The 247Sports Composite rated him as a five-star prospect, and the No. 4 overall quarterback. He played out of Denton, Texas, and was the No. 2 overall player coming out of the Lonestar State.
During his senior season at Guyer High School, he accounted for 3,383 yards with 33 touchdowns and just three interceptions, adding 855 yards with 23 touchdowns on the ground.
He committed to Oklahoma on Jan. 2022, despite holding offers from the likes of Ole Miss, Tennessee, Alabama, Ohio State and several others. He signed with the Sooners in Dec. 2022.
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What has Arnold said about returning to face his former team?
Not too much. After his team's win over South Alabama, he was asked about his emotions returning to face his former team.
"I'm not on social media, either, so there's no noise for me," Arnold told reporters after a win against South Alabama last week. "I'm just worried about going to practice every day and being the best version of myself, off the field and watching tape, watching OU, just locking in and doing my job throughout the week. There's nothing more than that. It's a job for us, we've got one every day, and attack it -- and make every day my best day."
Arnold’s new coach, Hugh Freeze, addressed how his quarterback is approaching the matchup.
"Obviously, there’s a lot of emotions and stuff, but [Arnold] is mature and he knows what it takes to win football games," Freeze said. "Him being emotional about whatever happened in the past is not going to help us, and he knows that. He’ll handle it well, I think."
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