The Oklahoma Sooners have hired their next offensive coordinator. According to a report from Pete Thamel of ESPN, the Sooners are bringing on former Western Kentucky and Washington State offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle to take the reigns of the offense. Thamel states it’s a three-year deal for Arbuckle.
Though he’s only 29 years old, Arbuckle has had a lot of success as a play caller at the FBS level over the last few years. His first opportunity to be an offensive coordinator came in 202,2 where he crafted an offense for Western Kentucky that finished 15th in the nation in points per game at 36.4. The Hilltoppers were No. 7 in the nation in yards per game. They were No. 2 in the country at 352.2 passing yards per game.
In 2023, as the offensive coordinator with Washington State, the Cougars averaged 421.7 yards per game and finished No. 4 in the nation with 336.8 passing yards per game. Arbuckle helped propel now-Miami quarterback Cam Ward into the preseason Heisman conversation after leading the nation in total touchdowns in 2023.
In 2024, Washington State had another big year offensively, averaging 36.8 points and 440.4 total yards of offense. Like Ward the year before, Arbuckle helped former three-star quarterback John Mateer lead the nation with 44 total touchdowns.
Running an air raid style of offense, Arbuckle gets the Sooners back to the style that helped produce four Heisman trophy winners and put Oklahoma on the map as one of the most prolific offenses in college football over the last 25 years.
Arbuckle has a big task ahead of him, taking over an offense that finished 97th in the nation in scoring offense this year. The first order of business will be locking up the 2025 recruiting class with the early signing period approaching and then figuring out who the quarterback will be in 2025.
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