If you thought college football was brutal on the field, try surviving in Jackson Arnold‘s DMs after a bad first quarter. From a Gatorade Player of the Year to expected Oklahoma savior to a disastrous turnaround and anonymous social media trolls before Week 6, this kid’s been through a lot. The recent confession was raw, real, and it came straight from the mouth of a QB who’s looking for a fresh start in the Plains.
Social media is unforgiving and Jackson Arnold is one of those people who can testify it best. His interview with J.D. PicKell on On3 on July 15 is about as real as it can get. “The beginning of last year wasn’t fun,” he began. “That’s about as low as you can go in college football and especially on the scale that it is now. And with social media everywhere, I got people freaking in my DMs and tell me to kill myself. Like it’s unbelievable what social media has come to, but that’s a whole different story.” And it wasn’t just fans losing patience.
Oklahoma’s coaching staff, led by defensive-first Brent Venables, didn’t do Jackson Arnold any favors either. After starting the year 3-0, he had a nightmare first half against Tennessee and was benched in favor of true freshman Michael Hawkins Jr. But instead of transferring on the spot as most QBs in this era would, he dug in. “I didn’t want to do that to those guys that I’ve been around for the past two years,” he recounted. “I wanted to keep in there and fight for them and keep that team going as long as I could.” So he stayed. He watched the Sooners beat Auburn from the sidelines. Then he got yanked back in late-season after the freshman’s struggle.
Ten starts. 1,421 yards and 12 TDs with a redshirt burned and a season lost. That’s pretty much what sums up Jackson Arnold’s 2024 season. But as Sooners Wire John Williams noted, “The 2024 season wasn’t all on Arnold. The circumstances the offense was dealing with this season weren’t conducive to a young quarterback’s development.” As Cole Cubelic revealed, the message for the QB from the HC was “Don’t f— up.” No wonder why he was playing tight under pressure with a fear of messing up.
The Sooners didn’t just fail Jackson Arnold either. They wasted two QBs’ redshirts for a 6-win campaign. Brent Venables’ decision to bench his QB1, then panic-restart him midseason, shredded confidence and continuity. So after the season ended, Arnold did what any smart QB does after surviving a defensive head coach’s offense. He hit the portal and now he’s looking for a fresh start.
From pain to the Plains, can Jackson Arnold reclaim relevance?
Now, Jackson Arnold’s in Auburn. Same SEC grind but different vibe. This time, he’s got an offensive mind backing him up. Hugh Freeze didn’t see a broken QB when he watched his tape. He saw a buried 5-star trying to breathe. “Watch his high school deal,” he said. “There was no weaknesses. There’s a reason he was Gatorade Player of the Year.” This spring, the new Tiger QB looked the part. His arm popped. His reads were sharper. And above all, he looked confident. “Just needed some confidence. I think our receiver room helps him with that,” his new coach said. And he’ll need it.
Auburn’s QB room is stacked with Stanford transfer Ashton Daniels and blue-chip freshman Deuce Knight, but Jackson Arnold is expected to lead the way. The O-line’s beefed up with returners like Dillon Wade and Connor Lew, plus USC’s Mason Murphy and VT’s Xavier Chaplin. And that WR room is fire. Cam Coleman. Malcolm Simmons. Georgia Tech transfer Eric Singleton Jr. There’s still lingering doubts, though. And the Tigers’ 2026 recruiting class isn’t doing Hugh Freeze any favor. But things are going to change for better or worse with the season’s progress.
Jackson Arnold’s got the keys now and he’s done apologizing. His redemption tour starts August 29 against Baylor.
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