Jackson Arnold was supposed to be the next great quarterback at Oklahoma — a five-star prospect who lit up Texas high school football. But things unraveled fast. He was benched just four games into his first season as the Sooners’ starter in 2024. Though later reinstated, Arnold entered the transfer portal after the season and landed at new SEC rival Auburn.
Now, in a twist of scheduling fate, Arnold’s first SEC game with Auburn in 2025 will come in a familiar setting — back in Norman, Oklahoma.
“It’ll be a fun game,” Arnold said Tuesday on SEC Network. “Extremely excited for that one. And, you know, no animosity whatsoever. I just think it’s going to be a fun environment to go in and play. I really enjoyed playing in that stadium.”
After backing up Dillon Gabriel as a true freshman in 2023, Arnold was handed the keys to the Oklahoma offense as the program transitioned from the Big 12 to the SEC. His first start in a 51-3 blowout win against Temple in Week 1 was promising, completing 17 of 25 passes for 141 yards and four touchdowns. But then it got shaky.
Over the next three games, Arnold completed just 55.7% of his passes for 397 yards with three touchdowns and five turnovers — three interceptions and two lost fumbles — before being benched at halftime of a 25-15 loss to Tennessee in Oklahoma’s SEC opener.
Perhaps the three interceptions Arnold had in the 2023 Alamo Bowl — his first career start — should have foreshadowed more concerns about ball security.
Arnold went on to start Oklahoma’s final five games in 2024, including wins over FCS Maine and a stunning upset of then-No. 7 Alabama. But the early benching marked the beginning of the end — at least in Norman.
“I mean, for whatever reason, you know, I just didn’t play good,” Arnold said. “Things happen. Things happen for a reason. … Sometimes things work out the way it’s supposed to be. You know, we’re on God’s timing, you know, not our timing. And, for me, I felt the best decision for me was to move on and move on somewhere else to get a fresh start, like you said, and go out and do what I know I can do with this Auburn squad this year.”
Auburn’s projected regular season win total in 2025 is 7.5, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. The Tigers are expected to finish in the middle of the SEC standings but will need a breakout season as coach Hugh Freeze enters his third year with an 11-14 record over the first two.
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