Brent Venables opens up on Jackson Arnold's process, mindset after being benched for Michael Hawkins Jr.

It hasn't been an easy end of September for Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold. After being benched in the second quarter against No. 4 Tennessee two weeks ago, Arnold has had to watch freshman Michael Hawkins Jr. take over the position he had been waiting for.

Hawkins has performed well as the starter, sparking the offense in the second half against Tennessee and helping lead the Sooners to a road win over Auburn last Saturday.

Arnold could be spiraling right now, and nobody would blame him. However, according to Sooners head coach Brent Venables, Arnold has kept his head up and stays engaged with the team.

"Worked hard to make sure he’s got the right mindset. And everybody’s got a role. He’s gotta stay ready. He’s gotta stay ready. And so he’s handled things great. Really, really good in every way. Now, more so than you’d probably think as just a second-year player. And incredibly probably disappointed. It would be naive if we didn’t think that’s not a piece of what he’s going through...I think he’s got the maturity to be like, ‘I’m going to be better from this."

Arnold struggled in his four starts, turning the ball over multiple times, misreading plays, and failing to produce much in the passing game. However, he does still have the tools to be a successful quarterback, and with Oklahoma's injury luck this season, it's good that he has stayed engaged and ready with the team.

However, the team is firmly sticking behind Hawkins as the starting quarterback, for good reason.

Against Auburn, Hawkins provided some much-needed juice for a sluggish Sooner offense. He had a 48-yard touchdown run and a 60-yard completion to JJ Hester, the two biggest plays from scrimmage this season for Oklahoma.

Hawkins is the key to turning the Oklahoma Sooners offense around this season, but having Arnold be ready just in case is a good thing for Oklahoma in 2024.