Oklahoma HC Venables isn’t giving up on the idea of Arnold

To say that quarterback Jackson Arnold’s sophomore campaign at Oklahoma is a little disappointing so far would be an understatement.

Arnold, a former five-star recruit, was just benched in Oklahoma’s 25-15 loss to Tennessee after completing just 7-of-16 passes for 54 yards with an interception.

That’s a bad game however you slice it, but consider the context as well. The interception was Arnold’s third of the season. He had thrown an interception in each of the last two games as well. He also lost a fumble against the Volunteers

Turnovers were the main reason head coach Brent Venables decided to go with freshman Michael Hawkins Jr. instead of Arnold in the second half of that game, and it’s worth noting that Oklahoma’s offense did look better with the true freshman.

Still, speaking with the media on Tuesday, Venables stated that he has not given up on Arnold’s future.

“Jackson’s going to have an amazing future and career. He’s going to play this game a long time and all of that will work itself out in due time,” Venables said, according to Eli Lederman of ESPN.