Brent Venables on Monday added his second quarterback commitment since joining Oklahoma as head coach, as ESPN Junior 300 QB Jackson Arnold committed to the Sooners.
Arnold is the No. 42 prospect overall, a 6-foot-1, 195-pound player from John H. Guyer High School in Denton, Texas. He’s ranked as the second-best dual-threat quarterback in the 2023 cycle behind California signal-caller Jaden Rashada.
While Arnold is the first quarterback commit for the Sooners in the 2023 class, Venables and offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby were able to add ESPN 300 QB Nick Evers in the 2022 cycle before the early signing period. Evers decommitted from Florida and quickly flipped to Oklahoma before signing Dec. 15 with the Sooners.
The staff is losing quarterbacks Spencer Rattler, who transferred to South Carolina, and Caleb Williams, who is in the transfer portal, but brought in UCF transfer Dillon Gabriel. Venables is also targeting USC quarterback transfer Jaxson Dart, who is considering Ole Miss and BYU as well.
Williams has said there is a chance he comes back to Oklahoma, but it looks more likely that he will transfer out. He has USC and former Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley, along with a handful of other programs, targeting him.
Given what Venables lost at quarterback, he and his staff have filled the void nicely with Gabriel and Evers, getting into the mix for Dart and now adding Arnold for future depth and competition as well.
With Arnold committed, Oklahoma now has three commitments in the 2023 class, including ESPN Jr. 300 wide receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. and center Joshua Bates.