NORMAN — Oklahoma’s quarterback of the longer term formally arrives on Wednesday — his signature, anyway — so naturally there are comparisons to the previous.
It’s National Signing Day, the primary day of the early signing interval, and for Jackson Arnold, the longer term is now.
Arnold and two dozen different future Sooners will signal National Letters of Intent in the present day. The signing class begins the day ranked No. 8 nationally, however has room to climb. The Sooners’ 2023 class consists of 13 defensive gamers and 10 offensive gamers. There are, in accordance to 247 Sports, eight 3-stars, 13 4-stars and two 5-stars — together with Arnold, the highest-rated participant within the class and the Sooners’ seventh-highest rated prospect within the final 20 years. The signatures will start rolling in round 7 a.m. and Brent Venables will stage a press convention at 10:35 to focus on the newcomers.
Expect Venables to get lots questions in regards to the Sooners’ newest, best quarterback.
To watch Arnold play, to watch him work together along with his teammates or followers or his coaches is to invoke reminiscences of Baker Mayfield. When the 6-foot-1, 205-pound gunslinger scores an extended landing, finds the closest digicam and throws the Horns down, it’s straightforward to say perhaps he’s bought a bit Mayfield in him. He flexes, he fist-pumps, he high-fives. He sprints round celebrating, and it naturally reminds some OU followers of Mayfield.
But to watch Arnold carve up Texas highschool defenses week in and week out — simply, fluidly, nearly effortlessly, operating, throwing, taking part in the sport he loves — conjures photographs of one other former Sooner nice:
Sam Bradford.
“I think that’s a much more applicable (comparison),” mentioned Arnold’s highschool coach, Reed Heim.
Jackson Arnold and his mother and father, Sharon and Todd, on the Landry Award ceremony.
Screenshot / CBS 11 Sports Dallas
Once he put apart basketball and golf and hockey — sure, hockey — and simply centered on soccer, the sport got here simply to Bradford. So simply, Bob Stoops nicknamed him “Big Easy.” And but, Bradford carried the fame across the Switzer Center as one of many group’s hardest employees.
That’s the mixture each soccer coach needs. It’s the mixture that inevitably produces greatness.
The recreation appears to come simply for Arnold, too, clean and assured behind middle, in absolute command of the offense, manipulating defenses as he wants to — after which letting his prodigious skills take over like he did this yr for Denton Guyer, main the Wildcats to a 14-1 file.
Heim is aware of what he’s speaking about. He was a graduate assistant coach at Baylor in 2009, and he watched up shut Bradford’s one full recreation that season, the yr after he received the Heisman.
Bradford harm his shoulder within the 2009 season opener towards BYU, and he was misplaced for the season after reinjuring it towards Texas.
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Jackson Arnold received the Elite 11 Finals MVP.
Ryan Chapman / AlolSooners
But the week earlier than the Red River Rivalry, on Oct. 10 in Norman, Bradford dominated the Bears. Bradford completed with 389 yards and a landing because the Sooners rolled 33-7.
“The only game he played,” Heim mentioned. “He didn’t even warm up and he came out and smoked as for about 400.
“I think yeah, I would say he’s more Sam Bradford as far as probably the mental approach to it.”
Heim admits he doesn’t personally know both Bradford or Mayfield, however he sees much less of a few of Mayfield’s outward traits in his personal QB than others do.
“Baker may have been a little bit edgier,” Heim mentioned. “… Baker’s story is, you know, goes on as a walk-on and I think he always carried a — and he still does — he carries a ‘I’ll show you.’ You know? And I think Jackson is, ‘I love to compete. I want to beat you. Not to prove to everyone that I am something that other people don’t believe I am.’ I mean, he knows that he’s a good football player, but it’s more about just the pure competitiveness just wanting to go compete.”
Arnold has all of the stats. As a senior, Arnold accomplished 69 p.c of his passes, threw for two,859 yards and 31 touchdowns and was intercepted simply 3 times in 274 makes an attempt. He additionally rushed for 667 yards and 17 touchdowns.
He has all of the accolades. He received the Tom Landry Award as the highest prep participant in North Texas, and received the MaxPreps Texas High School Player of the Year. He was MVP of the Elite 11 Finals final summer season. More awards shall be coming his means.
But what stands out probably the most to Heim is Arnold’s intangible qualities, like management.
“It’s very much a lead-by-example,” Heim mentioned. “Now, he will talk and he’ll get ‘em going. Just, for us, at this level, when you’re a high school kid, when you compete like he competes in whatever, whether it’s trying to break a tackle or pulling the zone read and carrying it and trying to extend the play on the balance — he’s just always competing. And that energy and that spirit is what made our team function, and also just what made our kids believe so much in him.
“It’s just like, ‘This guy, we know we got a good one.’ He is always competing, always trying to put us in the best position, whether that’s throw it, run it, whatever. And we feed off that energy. And he’s not a bad vocal leader by any means. But I think it was just more of his spirit and that energy that he brings to the table is what our kids fed off of.”
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