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Jackson Arnold was once a 5-star recruit for Oklahoma with an expectation to be the quarterback of the future for the Sooners. Now, he’s on his way to Auburn to team up with Hugh Freeze.
Various reports indicated Arnold’s decision was coming early on Saturday, and Auburn has since confirmed the addition. He is the highest-ranked QB signee in Auburn’s all-time history and a key building block for Freeze.
Coming out of High School, the Texas native was a 5-star prospect and the No. 8 prospect in the country for the class of 2023. The 247 Sports Composite also had Arnold as the No. 2 player from the state of Texas before his commitment to Oklahoma.
After appearing in 7 games as a true freshman while backing up Dillon Gabriel, Arnold appeared in 10 games for the Sooners in 2024. Some injuries to the offensive side of the ball greatly impacted the overall performance, but Arnold was still effective with 12 touchdowns and just 3 interceptions while throwing for 1,421 yards.
Arnold was also a true dual-threat for the Sooners with 444 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns, even adding 2 catches and a receiving touchdown this season.
Arnold’s departure from the Sooners was a major blow but not an entirely unsurprising one. Jeff Lebby, OU’s OC and QBs coach when Arnold joined the program, left to become the head coach at Mississippi State ahead of the 2024 season. Lebby’s replacement, Seth Littrell, was underwhelming and was fired in October with the Sooners struggling.
Meanwhile, Arnold only adds to a growing hype train for Freeze’s future with the Tigers. Even with a 5-7 record in his 2nd season, there is growing optimism that Freeze will have the pieces to build toward a potential breakthrough in 2025, and Arnold figures to be a key piece in that plan.
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
