Jackson Arnold shares what he told Brent Venables about playing in a burning redshirt

Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold has been on a journey this season. After starting the year as a starter, Arnold was benched Michael Hawkins in Week 4 against Tennessee after committing three turnovers.

Hawkins started the next three games, including Saturday's vs South Carolina. But after Hawkins committed a fumble and an interception early in the game, the Sooners called on Arnold to turn things around.

OU was already down 21-0 when Arnold entered and lost 35-9. But he finished the season with a season-high 225 yards and a touchdown while completing 18 of 36 passes. After the game, Arnold talked about the rollercoaster of emotions he's experienced over the past few weeks, from being benched to getting his second shot.

“Probably the hardest weeks of my life,” the QB said. “A lot of soul searching. I focus intensively on what is really important to me, what is really important to me. I relied heavily on my relationships. Family, friends, God, all of the above. As I said, they were the hardest weeks of my life. But character building. That's how I see it. I trust the plan God has for me. I just go out and prepare the same way and be there for my friends and family.”

By participating in Saturday's contest, Arnold lost his right to redshirt as it was the fifth game he appeared in this season. He will now enter 2025 as a junior and has two years of eligibility remaining regardless of whether he stays at Oklahoma or decides to transfer.

That was a conversation he had with the coach Brent Venables after his bench press. Arnold made it clear that he didn't want to play “pointless snaps,” such as entering the game during a blowout, if he knew the job wasn't his. However, he didn't see the start of Saturday's game that way.

“I told Coach V that if things continue as they are, I don't want to take pointless snaps and burn a redshirt if it's there for me,” he said. “But I also told him, 'If you need me for anything in the game, I'm here.' I invested so much in the team and still wanted to be there for them.”

It appears that Jackson Arnold had a chance to win back the starting quarterback job in the future because of these comments. Either way, Oklahoma needs some life in its offense after losing three of its last four games.

Next up is a matchup against the Sooners Ole Miss next Saturday at 12pm ET in Oxford.