Jackson Arnold will likely be helping a school outside of Oklahoma next season
The soon-to-be former Sooner QB Jackson Arnold is one of the hottest names currently in the transfer portal -- and for good reason. Many believe he was not given the proper shot at Oklahoma, and it is easy to get the sense that there is a lot of untapped potential.
He's set to be one of the most pursued transfer portal quarterbacks in the nation after he completed over 62% of his passes for 1,421 yards with 12 touchdowns and three interceptions over the 2024 campaign. He accomplished those numbers over the span of 10 appearances.
One of his biggest accomplishments was leading the Sooners to victory over Alabama in a 24-3 dragdown.
"Yeah, it's huge. This will be a signature win in my playing career, and you don't have many like this," he said in the postgame press conference following the upset. "I don't know if I ever will have the field rushed again when I play, but you know it's special, especially on senior night with all the seniors. Playing for them, I think, really motivated us tonight.
So, where could Jackson Arnold land next? Here's a look at three places in particular that could make sense for the former Sooners signal-caller.
The Bulldogs need to bounce back from their abysmal 2-10 finish to the 2024 season, and with quarterback being arguably the most important position for any given team on the football field, they have the perfect opportunity to do just that by bringing in a player like Arnold. To make things even more plausible, Mississippi State is among the teams heavily linked to Arnold.
MSU has also found itself in the transfer portal mix on the negative side of things with multiple players looking for a change of scenery for two prominent factors -- the desire to go elsewhere after the immense struggles and uncertainty that surround the Bulldogs of Starkville and the chance to gain more money and secure lucrative deals elsewhere amid the NIL era.
This will be an interesting situation to follow, with veteran quarterback Blake Shapen set to return after an injury-marred 2024 season. He was sidelined for all but four games in which he connected on 74 of his 108 passing attempts for 974 yards with eight touchdowns and one interception. He also had a pair of scores on the rushing side of things.
MSU is also down a quarterback in the transfer portal after young hopeful Michael Van Buren Jr. entered the portal, leaving them with a need to bring in someone else, if for no other reason than reliable depth. For a player like Arnold, he would probably serve as far more than just that, though.
Arkansas
The Arkansas Razorbacks are just one of many SEC teams not named the Oklahoma Sooners who could give Jackson Arnold a chance to fully develop into the big shot we once thought he might be able to be. And really, it is still quite early on to determine if he will become that as he projects as a quarterback with a high floor and potentially quite a tall ceiling.
The only thing here depends on how much this team truly trusts Taylen Green. Though he has not shown quite enough for a team to pass on the talents and skill set that Arnold brings to the table, he has been intriguing as a prospect and does have the ability to continue proving himself as a bona fide SEC starting quarterback. He finished out the 2024 season with a 60.8% completion rate, tossing for 2,813 yards with 13 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Green also presents an abundant threat on the ground in an era where being a true dual-threat quarterback is such a bonus, carrying the ball 141 times for 521 yards with seven touchdowns on the ground. He still has some work to do as a pure passer, something that could come with time and could make him and the Razorbacks even more dangerous.
Is it enough to pass on Arnold, though? And could his presence alone help Green to become better through the air?
Auburn
Auburn had some exciting moments -- especially in that overtime victory over Texas A&M in an upset to be remembered -- but there is just a little something missing. That seems to be more at quarterback than anything else, with Payton Thorne and Hank Brown.
Thorne won't be returning next year because of eligibility, and Brown has not risen to the occasion, also recently entering the transfer portal. In addition to Brown, four-star recruit Holden Greiner is also hitting the portal for a change of scenery. That leaves the Tigers down to just a single signal-caller in true freshman Walker White.
Hugh Freeze and his Tigers need more depth and reliability at this position, and that is likely going to come in the form of a guy with high-level competition experience like what Arnold possesses. While the Tigers squandered past opportunities with quarterbacks in the past, like the situation with Bo Nix, they have a chance to capitalize in a huge way with Arnold or someone of a similar stature.