Tag: Michael Hawkins Jr.

Sooners, Auburn’s Hugh Freeze featured on USA TODAY Sports’ ‘Misery Index’

Jackson Arnold’s performance against Tennessee and Hugh Freeze failures at Auburn highlight USA TODAY Sports’ Misery Index.

The Oklahoma Sooners fell flat offensively last week against Tennessee, losing at home by a score of 25-15 in front of a national television audience. OU was kept in the game by an excellent defensive performance, but first-half turnovers and offensive ineptitude led to the loss.

Now, Oklahoma needs to regroup and get to 4-1 heading into the first of two bye weeks during the regular season. They’ll head to Auburn in week five, but the national media is discussing the Sooners loss to Tennessee.

In that vein, Oklahoma found themselves on USA TODAY Sports’ misery index following the loss against the Volunteers. College football writer Dan Wolken had this to say about the Sooners:

… the actual story here is Arnold. He completed just 7-of-16 passes for 54 yards, threw an interception and fumbled in the first half when the Sooners were within sniffing distance of the end zone. He got pulled for [autotag]Michael Hawkins Jr.[/autotag], who wasn’t amazing but looked steadier and more confident in the second half. – Wolken, USA TODAY Sports

The Sooners need a steadier hand at the wheel as they continue to work through injuries at wide receiver and offensive line inconsistency. Hawkins proved more comfortable and has earned the trust from the coaching staff.

Oddly enough, OU’s opponent this week is also on the misery index, as Auburn is in the midst of a difficult 2024 season. The Tigers are 2-2, with losses to Cal and Arkansas, and desperately need a win on Saturday.

The reason you want Hugh Freeze to coach your program is to score points. That’s why you overlook the NCAA violations at Ole Miss, the inappropriate phone calls that got him fired and the general sense of phoniness that has made him college football’s version of Jimmy Swaggart over the last decade. It’s not a bad tradeoff, in theory. If you believe the entire sport is a cesspool, then Freeze is worth the bad publicity — as long as he’s winning. But in two years at Auburn, the cost-benefit analysis on Freeze has hit a snag. His team doesn’t win. It doesn’t score points. It isn’t entertaining to anyone, unless punting and committing an unusual number of turnovers (14 through four games) is your idea of a good time… Freeze version 2.0 just isn’t working in the SEC. And if you want to blame the quarterback position — neither Payton Thorne nor Hank Brown has looked the part — then you have to blame Freeze too. He’s had two years to improve that position, and so far there’s zero promise of a better future. – Wolken, USA TODAY Sports

Neither team is playing well offensively at this point, but the Sooners have displayed an excellent defense through four games. With a new starting quarterback in tow, as Hawkins takes over for Arnold, Oklahoma hopes the offense can find a spark and the defense can continue to shut down opposing offenses, starting with Auburn.

The Sooners and the Tigers will kick things off at 2:30 p.m. The game will broadcast on ABC.

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Where do Sooners land in CBS Sports’ new bowl predictions?

Where are the Oklahoma Sooners headed in CBS Sports latest bowl projections.

The Oklahoma Sooners are 3-1 heading into Week 5 of the college football season. After three nonconference victories at home, OU lost on Saturday night to Tennessee in their first [autotag]SEC[/autotag] game.

The Volunteers won 25-15, and the Sooners didn’t answer any of the lingering questions about their offense. In fact, there are plenty more of them now. Oklahoma will likely be without Nic Anderson for a significant period, and it is in the midst of a quarterback change.

[autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag]’ team will hit the road for the first time in 2024, looking for a bounce-back win against the Auburn Tigers. Many national pundits have sold all or most of their stock in the Sooners for this season.

Maybe those folks will prove to be right, but there are silver linings in Norman.

Venables’ defense is legit. For the first time in a long time, Oklahoma is back on that side of the ball. There’s talent, depth and a defensive coordinator ([autotag]Zac Alley[/autotag]) who has been on a roll. The special teams unit has made a couple of mistakes, but nothing too major, and has improved from last season.

However, that offense has flirted with the line between not very good and downright awful. A national TV audience watched the Sooners fall apart every time they had a chance to cut into an early Tennessee lead.

It’s led to a downturn in where some believe this team could be headed in the postseason. CBS Sports college football writer Jerry Palm published his weekly bowl projections, and he has the Sooners lower than a week ago.

Palm has predicted that Oklahoma will gain an at-large bid to the Las Vegas Bowl, a far cry from the lofty standard in Norman. The game would be played on Dec. 27, and he thinks the Sooners would face off against the Washington State Cougars.

Wazzu is in the Pac-12, one of two teams left behind (along with Oregon State) by realignment and the conference’s collapse last summer. The Las Vegas Bowl is still one of the bowl tie-ins for the Pac-12.

The Sooners and Cougars have played three times. OU is 3-0, with wins in 1938, 1967 and 2003. The most recent matchup between the two came in the Rose Bowl following the 2002 season, as the Sooners beat WSU by a final score of 34-14 in Oklahoma’s first appearance in the historic game.

The No. 8 Sooners toppled the No. 7 Cougars with a sound 20-point victory behind a Player of the Game performance from quarterback Nate Hybl in his final collegiate game. It was also the final game of Oklahoma’s second Big 12 championship season in three years.

The time has come for the Sooners to address and fix their many issues on offense. Otherwise, a phenomenal defense will be wasted and a season that began with so much optimism could be headed toward an unacceptable bowl destination.

Breaking: Brent Venables names starting quarterback for Week 5 vs. Auburn

It didn’t take long for Oklahoma to decide on a starter for this week. Brent Venables announced who the starter would be this week vs. Auburn.

Four games into the 2024 season, the Oklahoma Sooners have made a change at the quarterback position.

[autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] became the full-time starter with the transfer of [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] this offseason. However, Arnold was benched late in the second quarter of OU’s 25-15 loss to Tennessee following three first-half turnovers. In the wake of that game, the coaching staff has decided, at least for the time being, it’s time for a change.

Instead, third-year head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] has named true freshman [autotag]Michael Hawkins Jr.[/autotag] the starter for Saturday’s game in Auburn. Venables confirmed the move on his coach’s show on Monday night. OUInsider broke the news on social media.

Hawkins was inserted into the game on the final possession before halftime, and Venables stuck with him the rest of the night. Taking his first meaningful snaps at this level, Hawkins took a while to settle in, but when he did, he moved the ball and produced a couple of touchdown drives for the Sooners. Those drives were a stark contrast to the ineptitude Oklahoma had shown on offense the rest of the evening.

Hawkins finished 11-for-18 for 132 yards and a touchdown. He was also OU’s leading rusher, showing a knack for scrambling and gaining yards with his legs. He nearly ran for two touchdowns, coming up less than a yard short twice.

In contrast, Arnold struggled mightily, completing seven of his 16 passes for 54 yards and committing those three back-breaking turnovers. Quarterback hasn’t even been the biggest problem for the offense this year, as that unit has not produced up to the standard in Norman. However, after the turnovers that plagued the offense against the Vols, the head coach decided it was time to make a change.

Venables didn’t name Hawkins the starter for the rest of the season, and that distinction will come down to play on the field. Hawkins earned a shot to be the starter against the Tigers, and if he plays well, it’s likely Venables and his staff will stick with the youngster.

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Kickoff time announced for Oklahoma Sooners vs. Auburn

Broadcast information and kickoff time announced for Oklahoma Sooners vs. Auburn Tigers

The Oklahoma Sooners are 3-1 through four games of the 2024 season after losing on Saturday night to Tennessee, 25-15.

OU showed off an impressive defense that looks able to hang with the best in the country. The Sooners held the normally high-flying Volunteers to an output of 23 points on offense.

However, the Oklahoma offense has major problems a month into this season.

Offensive coordinator [autotag]Seth Littrell[/autotag] has struggled mightily since being promoted to the play-caller role. The offensive line and running game have been unmitigated disasters. There are more injuries at wide receiver to keep track of, and Jackson Arnold was benched against the Vols in favor of true freshman [autotag]Michael Hawkins Jr.[/autotag]

We may not find out who will start for the Sooners at quarterback, as the coaching staff will undoubtedly keep that under wraps. But head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] was clearly frustrated with what he’s seen from Arnold through four starts. Hawkins Jr. provided a spark and moved the ball once he settled. He also had zero turnovers to Arnold’s three.

Up next for the Sooners is their first road game of the season and first road conference game as a member of the [autotag]SEC[/autotag]. Oklahoma will travel to Auburn to face the Tigers, who are 2-2 and coming off a loss to Arkansas.

The game will kick off at 2:30 p.m. CT at Auburn’s Jordan-Hare Stadium, and it will broadcast on ABC.

https://twitter.com/OU_Football/status/1837877136767472023

This one could turn into a defensive slugfest, as neither team currently wields a competent offense. For Oklahoma, it’ll need to figure out if it’s time to overhaul the entire operation on that side of the ball or if it’s wiser to let it ride and try to improve for the final eight games of the season.

The Sooners look to improve to 4-1 going into their bye week in their first trip away from Norman in 2024.

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Best photos from the Oklahoma Sooners 25-15 loss to Tennessee

Some of the best photos from Oklahoma’s 25-15 loss to the Tennessee Volunteers.

What was a big-time matchup between a pair of top-15 teams fizzled in the first half when Oklahoma’s offense couldn’t muster more than three points. Turnovers and inconsistent play from Jackson Arnold led to a 19-3 deficit at halftime. Arnold was benched just before halftime in favor of true freshman quarterback Michael Hawkins.

Though Hawkins came in and provided a spark that led to a pair of fourth quarter touchdown drives, it was too little too late for the Sooners.

Oklahoma’s defense put together another strong performance, holding the No. 1 scoring offense in the country to just 25 points and 2.9 yards per carry on the day.

Despite the bright spots from Michael Hawkins and the defense, the Sooners took their first loss of the season and fell to 3-1. Now, the Sooners sit in the middle of a quarterback controversy. Brent Venables didn’t give a clear indication as to who would start in week four when Oklahoma makes the trip to Auburn. But based on their respective performances on Saturday night, Michael Hawkins has earned the right to a long look running the Sooners’ offense.

Here’s a look at some of the best photos from the Sooners loss to Tennessee.

Casey Thompson’s long journey highlighted in Washington Post article

Casey Thompson is battling for Oklahoma’s backup quarterback job.

The quarterback room has changed a lot for the Oklahoma Sooners entering 2024. [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag], [autotag]Casey Thompson[/autotag], [autotag]Michael Hawkins Jr.[/autotag], [autotag]Brendan Zurbrugg[/autotag] and [autotag]Steele Wasel[/autotag] make up the unit this season. They’ll be coached by [autotag]Seth Littrell[/autotag], who will serve as co-offensive coordinator along with [autotag]Joe Jon Finley[/autotag].

As OU enters Year 3 of the [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] era, the head coach has been hyper-focused on building up every part of the roster. He found what could be a key walk-on transfer in a veteran journeyman who has been all over the college football map.

Ideally, a backup quarterback isn’t something that is ever a big part of your season. Arnold is the starting quarterback for the Sooners in 2024 and will stay in that role as long as he is healthy enough to do so. If the worst does happen and Arnold falls with injury, Thompson and Hawkins Jr. would be the first options to replace him, with Zurbrugg and Wasel behind them.

While Thompson’s fellow backup quarterbacks are all youngsters (as is the guy playing in front of him) he’s the outlier. Thompson is entering his seventh year of college football and playing for his fourth different school.

It’s part of the reality of the new world of college football. The transfer portal, COVID-years of eligibility, and injury waivers provide the opportunity for players to play six or seven seasons at this level. The Sooners may benefit from Thompson’s final year of eligibility.

The Washington Post’s Kent Babb featured Thompson in a detailed article that dove deeper into the quarterback’s journey.

His father, Charles, was a star QB for the Sooners from 1986-1988, the final three seasons of the [autotag]Barry Switzer[/autotag] era. His older brother Kendal was a backup QB at OU from 2011-2013, before transferring to Utah for the next two seasons. However, Casey chose a different path out of high school, committing to play for the rival Texas Longhorns and head coach Tom Herman.

He spent three seasons as Sam Ehlinger’s backup before replacing him in the 2020 Alamo Bowl. He played under new head coach Steve Sarkisian in 2021, facing off against the Sooners in the fabled [autotag]Red River Rivalry[/autotag] game that season and diced up Alex Grinch’s defense. He helped the Longhorns jump out to a huge first half lead.

But after battling all season with Hudson Card for the starting gig in a 5-7 year, and with Quinn Ewers on the way to Austin in 2022, Thompson transferred to play for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. He again met rival Oklahoma in a blowout loss in Lincoln, and his time as a Husker didn’t go as planned.

“Once Casey started the 2022 season as the Cornhuskers’ starting quarterback, the offers poured in,” Babb said “He endorsed a protein doughnut brand, an apparel company, a barbershop. He spent $1,800 on a pair of off-white Air Force 1s, and when a group of high school buddies wanted to go to Austin on a weekend trip, the group stayed in a 10-bedroom mansion. Life was good, but Charles kept issuing warnings. Casey and his two brothers had grown up hearing them almost constantly, the echoes of their father’s trauma reverberating through every stage … In the Huskers’ first game of 2022, Coach Scott Frost opted to try a surprise onside kick against Northwestern. It failed, the first domino that ended in a blown double-digit lead. Two weeks later, Frost got fired, and players were left to flail. Casey got sacked 19 times and says now that he was hit 137 times in six weeks, at various points suffering injuries to a shoulder, a calf, his hip, his left wrist, an AC joint, even his jaw. Thumb surgery had weakened his grip on the ball, and yet another collision damaged nerves in his elbow.”

But that wasn’t the end of the rough season, according to Babb.

“In a game against Illinois, a defender crashed into Casey as he threw a pass, leaving him without feeling in his fingers. He had torn his labrum but, after missing two weeks, returned to the lineup and again played through it. Even running a makeshift attack, behind one of the nation’s worst offensive lines, Casey was among the nation’s most effective passers. Then, more dominoes. Nebraska hired Matt Rhule, the former Baylor and Carolina Panthers coach. A fourth playbook in two years and a fifth offensive coordinator. The winter transfer portal opened, and by the time it closed, 6-foot-4 quarterback Jeff Sims had departed Georgia Tech and was signing with the Cornhuskers. With his shoulder still healing, Casey couldn’t practice all spring. He and Rhule agreed that the new system, based more on power rushing than prolific passing, wasn’t a perfect fit. Though the portal had closed to football players, its gray areas include an exception for players with a new head coach. In April 2023, Casey’s future was again draped in uncertainty. Rhule hadn’t named a starter, but after their conversation, Casey knew the score. The only thing he could be sure of was that, 72 hours after the spring game, the portal would close.”

Thompson’s journey continued, ending up at Florida Atlantic for the 2023 season.

“During his third game, Casey fell to the turf while evading a Clemson defender. The pop in his right knee was the shredding of his ACL, his season finished in the blink of an eye,” Babb said.

After things didn’t go as planned at FAU, he had a decision to make about his future.

“When the NCAA approved his request for a medical exemption, granting him a chance to be a seventh-year college senior, he decided to continue only if one program welcomed him,” Babb said. “It’s the same one that recruited, excommunicated, and eventually forgave his dad. Casey had gone on a winding journey only to wind up back where he started. It had taken him traversing the country and multiple injuries for him to realize that, deep down, it was neither profit nor glory he had been chasing. It was stability. He yearned to belong, as his father does, and remember how it feels to be home.”

Thompson transferred and walked on at OU to batlle true freshman Hawkins Jr. for the back up job behind Arnold and has been rehabbing his injury, missing spring football. However, if his number is called upon in 2024, he could be ending his college football career, helping out his fourth-different team in seven seasons.

This time, it would be one close to home.

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Who will be Oklahoma’s backup quarterback in 2024?

Oklahoma has options on the quarterback depth chart behind starter Jackson Arnold.

Backup quarterback is a position few fans or coaches ever want to think about. However, it’s an important role to have decided before going into any season.

The Oklahoma Sooners have zero doubt who their starting quarterback will be in Year 3 of the [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] era. [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] was tabbed long ago as the player who would be the face of the Sooners as they left the [autotag]Big 12[/autotag] for the [autotag]SEC[/autotag].

The quarterback room as a whole has seen a major reshuffle around the former five-star prospect. Former offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach [autotag]Jeff Lebby[/autotag] is the head coach at Mississippi State. Former offensive analyst [autotag]Matt Wells[/autotag], who worked with the QBs, is the co-offensive coordinator at Kansas State. Former assistant quarterbacks coach [autotag]Matt Holocek[/autotag] followed Lebby to Starkville.

[autotag]Seth Littrell[/autotag] and [autotag]Joe Jon Finley[/autotag] were promoted to co-offensive coordinators to replace Lebby, with Littrell coaching quarterbacks and likely serving as the primary play-caller. Finley will continue to coach tight ends. [autotag]Kevin Johns[/autotag], who was the OC and QBs coach at Duke for the last two seasons, was hired by Venables as an offensive analyst this offseason to replace Wells. Johns has worked under Littrell before and received his coaching start working for former Oklahoma OC and current Tulsa head coach [autotag]Kevin Wilson[/autotag]. [autotag]Jack Lowary[/autotag] and [autotag]Ty Hatcher[/autotag] were hired in December as offensive support staff, and both have worked with QBs.

[autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag], [autotag]Davis Beville[/autotag], [autotag]General Booty[/autotag] and [autotag]Jacob Switzer[/autotag] left the program via the [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag] this offseason, leaving Arnold as the only player in the QB room who was here a season ago.

Behind Arnold, Oklahoma has four other quarterbacks on the roster heading into the 2024 season. Veteran transfer [autotag]Casey Thompson[/autotag], true freshmen [autotag]Michael Hawkins Jr.[/autotag] and [autotag]Brendan Zurbrugg[/autotag], and late transfer enrollee [autotag]Steele Wasel[/autotag] make up the rest of the quarterback unit.

Which of these players has the best chance to be called upon if something happens to Arnold? After all, we saw the situation play out last season when Arnold’s redshirt year was burned because he had to replace Gabriel in the second half of a must-win game against BYU.

Casey Thompson has the experience you look for in a college football backup quarterback. The seventh-year “senior” has made stops at Texas, Nebraska and Florida Atlantic over the past few years. He’s Oklahoma royalty, having seen his father [autotag]Charles Thompson[/autotag] and his older brother [autotag]Kendal Thompson[/autotag] play for the Sooners before him. He joined the program as a walk-on transfer this offseason, and has been recovering from injury, meaning he was unable to participate in spring football.

Michael Hawkins Jr., another Oklahoma legacy, provides the young and uber-talented backup option. The true freshman hails from Frisco Emerson High School in Texas, and he could be the future of the position if he develops over the next two seasons behind Arnold. He’s a dual-threat quarterback, flashing his talent in the [autotag]2024 spring game[/autotag].

Brendan Zurbrugg was the second quarterback the Sooners took in the [autotag]2024 recruiting class[/autotag], and his road to playing time is longer than his fellow true freshman’s. Zurbrugg is from Alliance, Ohio, and will be a depth player this season. He was taken by Oklahoma this year for a reason. He’ll have a chance to show what he has in practice.

Steele Wasel is the newest member of the group, transferring in from Akron in early June. He’ll be the fifth quarterback on the roster this season, and the in-state product will provide depth and a practice arm as a walk-on, getting the opportunity to practice against [autotag]Power Four[/autotag] players in Norman.

Thompson and Hawkins Jr. are the front-runners to serve as Arnold’s backup, but they’re on opposite ends of the experience spectrum. It may depend on the nature or severity of an Arnold injury to see which of them plays. Zurbrugg and Wasel are farther back in the competition, but college football has a way of making the unexpected the reality sometimes.

For instance, if Arnold is injured for part of a game and Littrell needs someone to finish the job, he might go with the steady hand of Thompson to help the Sooners win a close game, especially if it comes in a tough environment. If Arnold’s absence stretches multiple games, the talent and upside of Hawkins Jr. might be the way to go, considering the microscopic margin of error in the SEC. If either of those backups go down, Zurbrugg or Wasel could see an expanded role.

The competition will likely extend throughout fall camp, but Venables, Littrell and Finley need to have an answer at backup QB.

They’ll need to prepare either the experienced Thompson or the young Hawkins Jr. to hold the weight of Sooner Nation on their shoulders if the worst-case scenario happens. While they’re at it, it doesn’t hurt to get Zurbrugg or even Wasel ready to go just in case chaos reigns in 2024.

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Sooners add Akron transfer QB Steele Wasel

OU’s quarterback room grew by one with the addition of Steele Wasel in the transfer portal.

The Oklahoma Sooners football team made another addition via the [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag] on Saturday, this time at the quarterback position.

OU added [autotag]Steele Wasel[/autotag], who was previously at Akron and was a three-star prospect in the class of 2023, according to Rivals. Wasel is an in-state product, hailing from Choctaw, Oklahoma.

Wasel posted a picture of Sooner legends [autotag]Baker Mayfield[/autotag] and [autotag]Kyler Murray[/autotag] on social media with no caption. But multiple sources have confirmed that the former Zip will be returning to his home state.

Wasel entered the portal on May 1 and will have four years of eligibility remaining. He’ll be a preferred walk-on in Norman for [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and [autotag]Seth Littrell[/autotag], making him the fifth member of a QB room that has changed in a big way this offseason.

Wasel will compete for any reps he can get behind starter [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag], and will add to the depth behind the sophomore at the position. [autotag]Casey Thompson[/autotag], [autotag]Michael Hawkins Jr.[/autotag] and [autotag]Brendan Zurbrugg[/autotag] are all either more experienced walk-ons or scholarship quarterbacks that figure to slot in ahead of Wasel on the depth chart.

Wasel was a standout at Choctaw High School, throwing for over 3,000 yards and 38 touchdowns as a senior. He led the Yellowjackets to an 11-2 record in 2022.

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Sooners transfer QB General Booty commits to Louisiana-Monroe

Former Oklahoma QB General Booty is headed to Monroe, Louisiana to play for the ULM Warhawks.

[autotag]General Booty[/autotag] will be heading home to continue his college football career. After the former Oklahoma Sooners football quarterback entered the transfer portal on May 3rd, he has found a landing spot at Louisiana-Monroe.

Booty has ties to nearby Shreveport, Louisiana, and Booty is the latest in a long line of football players in his family from the area. His father Abram Booty and uncle Josh Booty both played at LSU, while John David Booty was a quarterback at USC.

Booty announced the move on social media, and he’s found a new home in Monroe after spending two seasons at Oklahoma.

Booty arrived in Norman in the summer of 2022, transferring in from Tyler Junior College, where he passed for 3,410 yards and threw 27 touchdowns. He appeared in just two games as a Sooner, against TCU in 2022 and against Arkansas State in 2023. He had a long touchdown run in the [autotag]2024 Spring Game[/autotag] that may have boosted his stock right before entering the portal.

The General has been a popular figure in college football for the last two years because of his unique name. He parlayed that into a NIL deal with Rock ‘Em Socks and his own personal line of boxers, briefs, and socks.

The departures of Booty and [autotag]Jacob Switzer[/autotag] at the quarterback position this spring have reshuffled the depth chart for [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and [autotag]Seth Littrell[/autotag]. Sophomore [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] will be the starter with [autotag]Casey Thompson[/autotag], [autotag]Michael Hawkins Jr.[/autotag] and [autotag]Brendan Zurbrugg[/autotag] behind him.

Booty’s commitment to ULM means he’s the latest former Sooner to find a landing spot in the portal. Still looking for a home are Switzer at quarterback, linebackers [autotag]Shane Whitter[/autotag] and Konnor Near, tight end Hayden Bray, kicker Gavin Marshall and punter Redi Mustafaraj.

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Oklahoma Sooners quarterback room will look completely different in 2024

The Sooners have almost completely restacked the quarterback room going into their first season in the SEC.

In early December, Oklahoma’s starting quarterback for the last two seasons, [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag], announced he was entering the transfer portal.

Gabriel saw the writing on the wall that it was former five-star [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag]’s time to take the reins under center for the Sooners. Gabriel transferred to Oregon to play the final year of his college career.

While Gabriel was certainly OU’s most notable loss in the portal at the QB spot, his was just the first of many departures that have completely reshuffled Oklahoma’s quarterback depth chart.

But let’s start at the beginning. Last season’s quarterback room in Norman consisted of Dillon Gabriel, Jackson Arnold, [autotag]Davis Beville[/autotag], [autotag]General Booty[/autotag] and [autotag]Jacob Switzer[/autotag].

Gabriel’s departure wasn’t even the first domino to fall. Former offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach [autotag]Jeff Lebby[/autotag] was hired to be the head coach at Mississippi State in late November. So, regardless of the portal or recruiting, a different voice was going to call the shots on offense.

[autotag]Seth Littrell[/autotag] and [autotag]Joe Jon Finley[/autotag] were promoted to co-offensive coordinators. Finley is still serving as the tight ends coach, and Littrell is expected to be the play-caller and quarterbacks coach. Additionally, offensive analyst [autotag]Matt Wells[/autotag], who has experience coaching quarterbacks and as an offensive coordinator, was hired away by Chris Klieman to coach QBs for Kansas State in January.

Arnold stuck with the Sooners after Lebby’s departure. By doing so, ehe stablished himself as the starter until he decides to leave Norman. Seemingly, this was the plan all along.

But the QB room has changed around Arnold. From the coach in charge to the players behind the highly-touted sophomore.

After Lebby took the job in Starkville and Gabriel moved to Eugene, the next exit came courtesy of Beville. The former backup transferred to South Carolina after two seasons at OU.

Switzer, the fifth-string quarterback and grandson of [autotag]Barry Switzer[/autotag], entered the portal in April, having spent only 2023 as a Sooner.

And, finally, first-ballot all-name team Hall of Famer and name, image and likeness legend General Booty, entered the transfer portal on May 5. That leaves Arnold as the only player left from the 2023 quarterback room still on the roster.

Though the departures have changed things, the argument could be made that the Sooners have more talent overall under center than they did in November when the regular season ended.

First, the Sooners added two quarterbacks as part of the 2024 recruiting class: [autotag]Michael Hawkins Jr.[/autotag] out of Texas and [autotag]Brendan Zurbrugg[/autotag] out of Ohio.

Hawkins is the more highly touted of the two, and has a chance to be the future of the program after Arnold’s time is up. However, Zurbrugg was a very good prospect. He’ll compete for snaps when given the opportunity. Though both are young, they offer potential and talent for the future of the position.

But Littrell needed a veteran backup behind Arnold to offer stability in case of injury, so the Sooners went and picked up [autotag]Casey Thompson[/autotag] in the transfer portal by way of FAU.

Thompson is OU royalty by way of (most notably) his father [autotag]Charles Thompson[/autotag] and his older brother [autotag]Kendal Thompson[/autotag]. Casey made stops at Texas and Nebraska before his time at Florida Atlantic. He brings six seasons of college football experience to Oklahoma. He carved up the OU defense in the fabled 2021 Red River Rivalry game, holding his own on a field with two five-star quarterbacks in crimson and cream.

In addition, the Sooners have an extremely strong commitment from [autotag]Kevin Sperry[/autotag] in the 2025 class. He will likely compete with Hawkins Jr. (and possibly Zurbrugg) for the starting spot going into the 2026 season if all goes as [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and the coaching staff think it will.

To recap, we’re just over five months removed from the regular-season finale against TCU, and the quarterback room looks vastly different. As it stands, the Sooners will take Jackson Arnold, Casey Thompson, Michael Hawkins Jr. and Brendan Zurbrugg into the 2024 season.

But this is Jackson Arnold’s time to be the face of Oklahoma Sooners football, an opportunity he’s relished and prepared for for years. He is now the most tenured player in the QB room. It’s one more way that the OU faithful will be counting on him to lead the way in 2024 and beyond.

Fortunately, the reshuffling at the position looks to have been a success from a talent acquisition standpoint and quarterback is a strong point for the Sooners heading into Year 3 of the Venables era and Year 1 in the SEC.

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