DALLAS — Donning a fresh gray suit jacket and red tie, Jackson Arnold confidently whirred through the chaotic multitude inside the Omni Hotel in Downtown Dallas on Tuesday, 35.3 miles away from the high school where his football legacy began.
He calls the Dallas area home, but surrounded by a throng of cameras and sitting down for eight scheduled news conferences or interviews, he’d come a long way from being the five-star quarterback at Denton Guyer. Arnold was 45 days from leading OU football, a blue blood program and one of the SEC’s newest members as its starting quarterback and was the talk of the Sooners’ three-hour window at SEC Media Days.
From those who know him best and observed his first collegiate season, Arnold is ready to take the reins of OU’s offense.
His head coach began his address on the main stage by singing his praises.
“What I feel best about and have the most peace about is his ability to be able to handle the highs and the lows, the challenges, the success, the failure that a season will bring you,” OU coach Brent Venables said. “Nobody is more competent or more ready, even though he's a young player, and we've gotta, in some ways, be the headlights for him. That's why they call us coach.
“But his skill, his arm talent, his toughness, his instincts, his ability to lead people, bring out the best in people, no question about it, he's ready for his opportunity and his moment.”
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Arnold’s first start in the Alamo Bowl didn’t go as planned. Ruminating about three interceptions, a lost fumble and a two-touchdown loss isn’t how he envisioned ending his freshman season.
He said Tuesday something felt off about that late December contest — where he took over as the starter for one game after Dillon Gabriel transferred to Oregon — and that starting the offseason with a fresh slate was rewarding.
“All those guys had Dillon as their quarterback the whole year,” Arnold said. “It felt like I was taking (Gabriel’s) role from him last year but going into this offseason, it's been huge for me to build chemistry with those guys. And like I was saying with the leadership earlier, just being a more vocal leader for those guys and really bonding with them and just gelling as a team and as an offense.”
With Arnold’s confidence comes excitement for what’s ahead. It’s no secret sitting behind Gabriel last season wasn’t ideal. Arnold wants to play ball.
And he’ll get to at some of the most historic venues in college football this season.
When asked which road game he’s most excited for, Arnold said, “If (we) play at night, I’d say Death Valley.”
He also reflected on watching the Sooners’ 34-30 win over Texas in the Red River Rivalry game last season from the Cotton Bowl sidelines and how special it will be to start that game in his home region.
“It’s going to be awesome,” Arnold said. “The environment last year was unbelievable. I've never been in a game like that before, just walking out and seeing half of it orange and half of it red. It's really special. I'm really excited to start in the game this year.”
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Before the rush of media, Arnold’s day began at 6 a.m. in Norman for offensive workouts. He then, alongside defensive veterans safety Billy Bowman Jr. and linebacker Danny Stutsman, jetted to Dallas — playing the newly released EA Sports College Football 25 aboard OU’s plane — to represent the Sooners at the SEC’s annual media event.
Since they missed the defensive workouts later in the day, Bowman and Stutsman joined Arnold and Co. in the early morning hours. The Sooners’ All-American linebacker was impressed.
“I just wanted to sit back, I wasn't as vocal as I usually was, just kind of see how the offense does it,” Stutsman said. “And the first guy to say something was Jackson Arnold. Every single day I know that's how he is. It was kind of a sense of security, like, 'All right, this guy leads this offense.
“He's the first guy in there getting everyone going, kind of being that motivation, that spark plug the offense needs, there's no doubt in my mind he's everything that we need.”
The same confidence Arnold exudes on the practice field was on full display during his availability in the main room. He answered every question about his readiness to lead a veteran group into the SEC with conviction.
Arnold left the scrum of reporters with a message before heading to his next interview.
He’s a different player from what Sooners fans last saw.
“I had a whole spring ball, a whole almost summer to learn from that game and really apply the things that I learned into the offseason and into spring ball," Arnold said. "Whether it’s timing, decisions, footwork, all of the above. I think I’ve improved dramatically as a player.
“I’m excited. We’re going to take it one week at a time, but I think me and the boys have been working hard this offseason, been grinding. I’m super excited for the fall.”
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