Mason Young
Tulsa World OU Sports Reporter
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NORMAN — Jackson Arnold was a dejected backup quarterback when Oklahoma visited Auburn last season, but his time in the Loveliest Village on the Plains still made an impression on him.
“‘You like this place?’” Jackson’s mother, Sharon, asked during that weekend last September.
“He said ‘I think this place is pretty cool,” Jackson’s father, Todd, recalled.
Now, Jackson is Auburn’s starting quarterback after transferring from OU in December, and he’s loving everything about his new home.
“He fell in love with the coaching staff,” Todd Arnold told the Tulsa World. “And when he goes to move there, it all of a sudden hits, ‘I don’t know anybody.’ But he’s transitioned well. … He loves playing there. People around the town are wonderful. He’s been well received.”
This weekend, Jackson makes the return trip to his old stomping grounds of Norman. He leads the No. 22 Tigers into a battle with the No. 11 Sooners at 2:30 p.m. Saturday on Owen Field. All eyes are on Jackson, but the Arnold family is trying to not make it anything bigger than it is.
“This game is about two teams in the SEC trying to get their first conference win, and I know that’s the way Jackson is preparing for it,” Todd Arnold said.
A week before OU’s 2024 visit to Auburn, former five-star recruit and first-year starter Jackson had been benched for committing three first-half turnovers in Oklahoma’s loss to Tennessee.
His agent, who’d counseled NFL quarterbacks in the same situation, encouraged him to keep showing up like nothing happened.
Jackson did, and eventually reclaimed the starting job for the Sooners, producing an upset win over Alabama, but not much else for OU’s moribund offense, or himself, to celebrate.
“You want to win, just… unfortunately, with the loss of so many players (to injuries), offensively, we were just not in a good spot,” Todd Arnold said. “I don’t know if anyone could have done much in that situation.”
There was off-field adversity too. There were people on campus who said hateful things to Jackson to the point that he quit going out in public.
His parents were floored when, during an interview at 2025 SEC Media Days, he revealed that he’d received direct messages on social media telling him to kill himself.
“I put his safety in God’s hands and pray about that,” Todd Arnold said. “Unfortunately, we live in a world where crazy people do crazy things.”
Jackson put his name in the portal just four days after OU’s season-ending loss to LSU and one day after coach Brent Venables hired new offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle.
The Arnolds had a feeling the new OC might bring his quarterback with him, and that indeed played out with John Mateer following Arbuckle from Washington State to OU.
Time was of the essence for Jackson. The transfer quarterback market could explode and he could be left out in the cold.
His agent told the family, “This isn’t recruiting 2.0.” They needed to narrow down their options to one or two places they would visit.
Auburn reached out to Jackson post haste and the Tigers were a perfect fit. They were graduating a quarterback but had other pieces returning on offense and were looking to add more from the transfer portal.
Coach Hugh Freeze and his staff had a track record of producing good quarterbacks. And, their system was similar to what Jackson had wanted to play in when he had committed to OU and former Sooner coordinator Jeff Lebby.
Jackson committed to Auburn within 10 days of entering the portal and it didn’t take him long to settle in during spring practice.
“‘This is the easiest install I’ve ever done,’” Jackson told his dad.
The Arnolds never planned for Jackson to transfer. They’d hoped OU would be his alma mater. He’s still held in high regard by the OU coaches. But he needed a fresh start.
So far, so good, as Jackson went back to his home state of Texas and battered Baylor in Week 1. He has also engineered wins over Ball State and South Alabama.
The Arnolds know the internet vitriol could always return. Jackson stays off social media unless posting something for a name, image and likeness obligation.
Tough times continue to shape Jackson Arnold. Oft-told during his time at OU was the story of his rough first game as quarterback at Denton Guyer High School.
His OU hardship only piled on more pain. But his loved ones believe the affliction has only made him stronger.
“God does not put heavy weight on people who are weak,” Todd Arnold said. “Things happen for a reason and we’re just gonna go make the best of it. We don’t fault anyone for it. It’s just part of his journey.”
mason.young@tulsaworld.com
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Mason Young
Tulsa World OU Sports Reporter
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