Why Oklahoma OC Ben Arbuckle Expects Jaydn Ott to Thrive in 2025

Once upon a time, Ben Arbuckle and Jaydn Ott were Pac-12 rivals.

Arbuckle, Oklahoma’s new offensive coordinator, held the same position at Washington State from 2023 to 2024. Ott transferred to Oklahoma in April after three seasons at Cal.

Before Cal moved to the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2024, Washington State had a chance to battle the Golden Bears in 2023 for their final meeting as Pac-12 opponents.

Ott exploded in the game against his future offensive coordinator.

The running back went for 162 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries. Ott also caught a touchdown pass as the Golden Bears beat the Cougars 42-39.

Arbuckle never predicted that he’d one day coach the elusive runner who gashed his team in 2023 — but he’s thankful for the opportunity to do so.

“Jaydn, he's a special kid and he's an old, mature kid,” Arbuckle said at Thursday’s OU Football Coaches Luncheon. “He's played a lot of football; he's been in the game for a long time.”

Ott was an immediate star for Cal as a true freshman in 2022, running for 897 yards and eight touchdowns to earn Freshman All-American honors. 

He was even better as a sophomore, registering 1,315 yards and 12 touchdowns on 245 carries. Ott’s third season in Berkeley was limited because of a lingering ankle injury, as he finished the season with just 385 rushing yards and 222 receiving yards.

Now that Ott is healthy, Arbuckle believes he'll be one of the SEC’s most dynamic tailbacks.

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“He's fast, he's explosive, he's very sudden with his movements, can catch out of the backfield,” Arbuckle said. “He can do so many things that allow you to really expand the versatility of your offense, and he's highly intelligent. He's a highly intelligent football player because he's played so much ball.”

After playing three seasons between the Pac-12 and ACC, Ott has spent the offseason preparing for his first season of SEC football.

And according to Arbuckle, he's done everything necessary to thrive in the new system and new conference.

“This kid is intentional,” Arbuckle said. "He's intentional in his work, his teammates and what it takes to be great, and he's diligent with it. He fit into the team and the locker room seamlessly. If you walked in, it's like he'd been here for four years.”

Ott is the projected starter in a deep running back room that also features Xavier Robinson, Taylor Tatum, Jovantae Barnes and Tory Blaylock.

Between Ott’s leadership, versatility and willingness to learn, Arbuckle believes he’ll be an instrumental part of an Oklahoma offense that looks to return to its usual form.

"He's a great asset to our team, as a player, as a human being, and we're just really excited to have him and I'm really excited for Sooner Nation to watch him play this fall,” Arbuckle said.