Brent Venables said he expects quarterback Jackson Arnold to return to Oklahoma next season.

“Damn it”, Brent Venables wants Jackson Arnold will return next season as Oklahoma’s quarterback.

Arnold’s first season as the Sooners’ starting quarterback wasn’t easy, but his coach constantly encouraged him to believe in the young talent. He certainly reinforced that view on Tuesday.

Arnold is still early in his career as a sophomore with just six starts on his resume. But in today’s world of college football, with free agency through the transfer portal and programs able to lure talent with big money through the Name Image and Likeness funds, new things become obsolete faster. Just because a team has a sophomore quarterback doesn’t mean that player will be a junior next season, especially if that player has been as highly touted as a rookie as Arnold and has already been benched once.

Does Arnold want to come back next year?

“I guess you’re damn right he wants to come back. Why not? That’s how I look at it,” Venables said Tuesday at his weekly news conference. “Now I don’t hide my head in the sand. I would be concerned if I thought this way: “I wonder if he wants to come back.” Well, (shoot), you’re the starting quarterback at Oklahoma. This is your dream. You have denied many good people from coming here. And now you’ve encountered some obstacles and are now just going to quit? I don’t see that in him and I don’t see that in the guys in our locker room. Does this happen in college football or in life? You’re damn right. But not with people who are made of the right materials, not at all. And Jackson has everything he needs.”

Arnold was the projected QB1 to start the season, but in Week 1 of SEC OU against Tennessee, Arnold was benched for a freshman. Michael Hawkins Jr. who started the next three games. Arnold, however, regained his starting job last week against Ole Miss, which Venables said Monday night was Arnold’s best game of the season.

“I thought Jackson had his best performance of the year,” repeated Venables. “I thought he did a great job coming out and playing against a quality defense. And, again, he completed over 70 percent of his passes, made a lot of great decisions, handled the ball well, threw it on time. He played a great game. And have fun, and make yourself comfortable, and not play with a bear on your back. He was just playing for free.”

Arnold lost his starting position during the fourth game of the season. If he did not play again in 2024, given that he did not redshirt last year, Arnold could have redshirted as a sophomore, which was discussed before Arnold reclaimed his spot.

A new trend in college football is that players are not only calling it quits early, but are also redshirting to prepare to enter the transfer portal and continue their careers elsewhere without using up a year of eligibility at their current program. Programs will likely see more of this during lousy seasons. Game time and more money can also be factors that motivate a player to go elsewhere.

The Sooners are 4-4 on a three-game losing streak and have already fired their offensive coordinator, who was also Arnold’s quarterbacks coach. But even during the turmoil, no one had yet abandoned the ship. Injuries have plagued the team this season, especially at wide receiver, but Venables already said injured standout receivers have told him they plan to return next season. Venables expects the same response from other players in the dressing room, and if not, good riddance.

“At the end of the day, I want guys who want to be here because they want to wear the crimson and cream,” Venables said. “They love their coaches, they love the locker room, they love being an Oklahoma Sooner.” This is where it all starts for me. I trust the guys in our dressing room that they like to live up to those criteria and I’m a firm believer in that.

“But no one in college football is immune to losing some guys. This will all be part of it. And again, if storms are the reason guys want to leave, then I’m all for it. I’ll help them pack their bags. I believe in this too. But our guys are strong in spirit. They believe in what they do. They believe in each other and believe in their capabilities, and are grateful for their opportunities. I can see it in how hard they work, how hard they fight, how hard they compete.”