NORMAN — There was no shock. No drama. No hat video games. In truth, that could be what the Oklahoma teaching employees appreciated most about signing quarterback Jackson Arnold on Wednesday.
OU coach Brent Venables even went as far as to name Arnold “a foundational player” at the start of his National Signing Day press convention.
Arnold was one in all 24 new Sooners – not less than by early afternoon – who signed to play in 2023. The breakdown contains 14 defensive gamers and 10 offensive gamers. Five hail from Florida, 4 from Texas, two from Oklahoma – 14 states in all. There are six defensive backs, 5 defensive linemen, three linebackers, 4 offensive linemen, two huge receivers, two working backs, a tight finish and, after all, a quarterback.
“And again more to come,” Venables mentioned. “We’ve got length and speed on both sides of the ball at skill.”
Arnold is the crown jewel, a 5-star QB and the seventh-highest-rated participant within the final 20 years at OU.
“What I love about Jackson Arnold,” Venables mentioned, “he’s one of the first young men that I visited with in my office a year ago last January – me and his family – had an amazing conversation with him. He was incredibly anxious. I wondered, ‘Does he got to use the restroom?’ I mean, he was just antsy. He was just nervous.
“This is the moment for him. He had taken several trips, including to Oklahoma prior to that certainly (with) a different staff, but around the country. But he was at a really good place.”
Offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby mentioned a variety of issues soar off the video when evaluating the 6-foot-1, 205-pound Arnold.
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“I think the very first thing was how effortless he can spin the football,” Lebby mentioned. “Comes off his hand incredibly smooth. His athletic ability, it really got showcased for him in the playoffs this year, but he can do so much. That’s the biggest thing. We’re going to put him in positions of success, but I don’t think there’s anything he can’t be really, really good at. Got this incredible skill set. Leadership obviously is first class. Again, couldn’t be more excited about him.”
Lebby mentioned Arnold’s toughness additionally “jumps off the tape,” however acknowledged he could have to speak to Arnold about his willingness to throw his physique round in doubtlessly harmful conditions. What labored for working quarterbacks in highschool doesn’t at all times translate to main faculty soccer.
“We always talk about being able to see a guy’s competitive spirit on tape,” Lebby mentioned. “To me, you don’t have to get around Jackson to know he loves football. You can put on 10 plays and know real quickly this guy is ultra-competitive and loves ball. That’s what you want. It jumps off the tape. His toughness, his passion, his energy, his leadership. All of it you can see watching the tape, which is exactly what we want.”
And as with many quarterbacks, there are issues about Arnold which you can’t establish simply by watching video and even seeing him play reside.
“He walks into a room and can own a room,” Lebby mentioned. “I think he makes everybody around him better all the time. He’s going to be a guy who is (the) first one in and last one to leave. Those are things that are going to be an immediate impact for us. I cannot be more excited, more proud to coach him. He’s been awesome from a recruiting standpoint.”
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