Jackson Arnold Sends Blunt Message About Time at Oklahoma
When it comes to being a five-star quarterback, fans of your college program will practically worship you until you give them a reason not to.
For new Auburn quarterback Jackson Arnold, he went from being the prodigal son at Oklahoma to a guy fans never wanted to see on the field again. In the days leading up to Auburn’s A-Day, which he didn’t play in due to an injury, he was asked about his time in Norman.
Arnold revealed that the biggest lesson he took from his time as a Sooner was how to deal with adversity. Something he was forced to deal with after being yanked at halftime of the team’s game against Tennessee.
“You know, play the first three games, we’re 3-0, then go to Tennessee, have a bad first half and get benched,” Arnold told Rivals. “I feel like for me it was a wake-up call from God, just to kind of take a step back and root my identity in something other than the game.
“And really just go through that and just learn how to persevere through hard times, because to be quite honest it’s probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever gone through my entire life, and just really being strong, being able to persevere, is something that I feel like I learned a lot last year.”
With a fresh start at Auburn and a team that believes in him, Arnold has a chance to show exactly why he was ranked as the No. 10 recruit in the country.
In his lone season as the starter for Oklahoma, he threw for 1,421 yards with 12 touchdowns and three picks, while also rushing for 444 yards and three scores. This next season will be a pivotal year for both him and head coach Hugh Freeze, who is looking for his first winning season at Auburn after going 11-14 in his first two seasons.
While the pressure is on, a change of scenery could be the difference for Arnold.
