The Oklahoma Sooners football team will be led by a new starting QB in 2024.
However fans may have felt about former offensive coordinator of Oklahoma football Jeff Lebby as a play-caller, there was no debate about his talent as a QB recruiter.
When head coach Brent Venables hired Lebby in the fallout of Lincoln Riley’s sudden departure, the Sooners’ quarterback room was thin at best. Caleb Williams had one foot in the Alamo Bowl and one foot at USC — and then it was a bunch of walk-ons.
Now, as Lebby begins his head coaching career at Mississippi State, he should get a salute from Sooner Nation for landing the QB talent he did. OU football had Dillon Gabriel for two explosively productive seasons, five-star recruit Jackson Arnold for the foreseeable future, four-star Michael Hawkins and three-star Brendan Zurbrugg in the 2024 class. And, coming down the line, 2025 four-star Kevin Sperry. In short, the Oklahoma Sooners QB room continues to gain talented prospects for their football team.
Jackson Arnold
OU has officially restocked at quarterback thanks to the prodigious physical talents of Arnold. Arnold the stud from Denton, TX who was the Gatorade National Player of the Year, now must replace Gabriel as the starting QB for Oklahoma football.
As a true freshman in 2023, Arnold passed for 563 yards, completing 64 percent of his throws (44-of-69) with four touchdowns and three interceptions.
Arnold has an electrifying arm and explosive legs. He’s a passer first — and might very well be the next great Sooner quarterback — but he’s athletic, dynamic, and deceptively strong as a runner, rushing for 116 net yards and a touchdown last season.
Remember last season when he burned his redshirt to fill in for Gabriel in a tight game at BYU and delivered a couple of decisive fourth-quarter, third-down throws? That was his first meaningful action as a college quarterback. Now, project that over a career.
Of course, Arnold’s first career start wasn’t as good as those moments against BYU. Arnold threw three interceptions and lost a fumble in the Sooners’ Alamo Bowl loss to Arizona. He finished with 339 yards, fourth-most by an OU quarterback in a bowl game, and two touchdown passes. So, it’s not all bad by any means. However, Arnold knows successful OU quarterbacks can’t ever have four turnovers.
Hope Jackson Arnold kept those receipts from the bowl game. Believe we’re going to see this combo a lot in 2024
pic.twitter.com/2NTkh6hYTX— J.D. PicKell (@jdpickell) April 20, 2024
Arnold will have way more on his shoulders this spring, and has a chance to become a breakout player in the SEC in 2024.
Now is the time for Arnold to be the face of Oklahoma Sooners football. It’s an opportunity he’s relished and prepared for for years. And now, he is the most tenured player in the QB room. However, there are a couple other players at the position worth monitoring.
Michael Hawkins
Hawkins, whose father Michael Sr. played defensive back at OU for Venables and Bob Stoops, compiled 4,211 total yards and 55 touchdowns (just three interceptions) as a senior as he led Frisco’s Emerson High School to the Texas 5A semifinals.
Hawkins was an Elite 11 finalist. He was also named quarterback MVP at the 2023 Rivals Camp in Dallas, and won the Accuracy Challenge Award at the 2023 Under Armour Next All-America Camp in Dallas.
Hawkins is expected to be the primary backup to Arnold heading into 2024. The Frisco Emerson product chose OU over Alabama, Arkansas, Michigan, and others.
Brendan Zurbrugg
Zurbrugg passed for 2,322 yards and 26 touchdowns last year for Alliance high school. On top of that, he ran for 1,038 yards and 13 TDs, proving he can be a dual threat quarterback. Zurbrugg set the school record with 6,376 total yards and 63 total touchdowns.
Zurbrugg was a two-time All-Ohio performer in track, winning a regional title and placing at state in the 300-meter hurdles. The Ohio product decommitted from Northwestern and chose to play for Oklahoma this season. He will spend the 2024 season as the Sooners’ QB3, learning under Arnold and Hawkins.
COMMITTED! Gods plan! @Coach_Leb @CoachVenables @OU_Football @AllenTrieu @AviatorFootbal1 pic.twitter.com/EA4QCBwU2V
— Brendan Zurbrugg (@BrendanZurbrugg) August 1, 2023
