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The Oklahoma Sooners aren't playing up to the standard they've established as a blue blood program in college football. An arrival to the SEC was always going to be shaky for a program that had its head coach leave in 2021, and it has proven to be thus far. For a program with seven National Championships and seven Heisman Trophy winners, the Sooners have plenty of history, so playing in the best conference in college football is only fitting.
The problem? Oklahoma is undergoing a transition period. Brent Venables is in his third season as a head coach and had to recently fire his offensive coordinator after hiring Seth Littrell to succeed Jeff Lebby. The Sooners have done a 180-degree turn, with their offense looking lifeless though their defense is incredibly stout.
Quarterback play is a big reason why, too. Caleb Williams left the program in 2021 when Riley left, leaving Oklahoma in a weird spot. Dillon Gabriel, now with Oregon, held the offense together for a couple of seasons and five-star sophomore Jackson Arnold was given the keys to the offense ahead of the 2024 season.
BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Arnold's tenure didn't start strongly, as the team struggled in games they shouldn't have before he was benched in favor of four-star true freshman Michael Hawkins Jr. The four-star freshman wasn't quite the answer, either, as the Sooners have been blown out in two straight games, one against Texas and another against South Carolina. On Monday, Venables revealed that Arnold would be returning as the starting quarterback on Saturday as the program heads to Ole Miss for a road competition.
Brent Venables says it'll be Jackson Arnold starting at QB this week for Oklahoma at Ole Miss The sophomore and former five-star recruit is more than talented enough to be an incredible quarterback at Oklahoma, though the offensive line struggles and wide receiver injuries can be too much to overcome..
