Sooners' Brent Venables Breaks Silence on Jackson Arnold Transfer 'He had No Chance'

Former Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Jackson Arnold left Norman for the Auburn Tigers in the transfer portal, and the two teams will face off in September.

Arnold had good things to say about his time at Oklahoma, and Sooners’ head coach Brent Venables reciprocated when asked about him at SEC Media Days this week. Venables went as far as shielding Arnold from the blame of an up-and-down season.

“I love Jackson, love his family,” Venables said on Wednesday. “Hate what happened. We wanted to keep him. We tried to keep him, but I think he just needed a fresh start. I don’t want to speak for him, but he was wonderful.

“Never once was I disappointed in him. He handled one of the toughest moments of his athletic life in an amazing, first-class way. I know this without reservation, he’s going to play this game a long time at a really high level,” Venables emphasized. 

Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze hit the transfer portal not only for Arnold, but he also added a pair of bookend offensive tackles and one of the most electric wide receivers available in Eric Singleton Jr.

The contrast in talent on the offensive line and wide receiver room is stark, and Venables admitted as much this week.      

“Unfortunately for him, everything around him wasn’t helping him be successful,” Venables said, alluding to the injury problems the Sooners had on offense in 2024. “So, he had no chance in some ways, under the circumstances.”  

Venables downplayed the role familiarity could play in Auburn’s September 20th game at Oklahoma. Will it matter that the Sooners know Arnold and Arnold knows the Sooners’ defense?

“Advantages, disadvantages… he’ll be a different player,” Venables said. “There’ll be nothing the same. Only good thing for us is that it’s in Norman. They’re a very talented football team. Hugh Freeze is one of the best coaches in college football. He’s a wonderful offensive coordinator, and he’ll put him in position to be successful, and they’ve got tremendous football players on both sides of the ball.”

Arnold, Venables and the Sooners are all playing nice in public, but come September 20th, make no mistake, there will be a little extra incentive on each sideline to get the win in what could be a crucial-early SEC test.