When the coaching turnover of last winter led to the gutting of Oklahoma’s 2023 recruiting class, the Sooners landed a big-time commitment from Denton Guyer quarterback Jackson Arnold. Arnold, who had just started his first year on varsity, helped Guyer reach the state championship game.
Arnold was one of the first offers made by Brent Venables and Jeff Lebby for the 2023 class and he represents the first 2023 commitment under Oklahoma’s new regime.
Jackson Arnold joined Locked On Sooners this week to discuss what his recruitment was like. It was Arnold that reached out after Lincoln Riley left and Malachi Nelson decommited. Arnold’s recruiting coordinator at Denton Guyer connected with Cale Gundy to express the then-junior quarterback’s interest in Oklahoma and once Brent Venables and Jeff Lebby came on board, they made an offer. Just over a month later, the Oklahoma Sooners had the centerpiece of their 2023 recruiting class in Jackson Arnold.
That Jackson Arnold was a pivotal commitment is a massive understatement. And the talent that has had Jeff Lebby excited about Arnold since the two first started talking more than a year ago is getting noticed more and more. Today, it was revealed that Jackson Arnold earned a fifth star in the 247Sports Composite rankings. While not a consensus five-star yet, he’s risen up recruiting rankings across each of the major services we track here on Sooners Wire.
In the 247Sports rankings, Arnold rose from the No. 47 overall player to No. 35. In the 247Sports Composite, Arnold saw a massive 41 spot jump from No. 72 to No. 31 overall. Over at On3, he went from No. 140 to No. 56 and saw a 58 spot jump in On3’s Consensus Rankings. Rivals moved him up 132 spots to No. 38 overall. ESPN has been in on Arnold all along, ranking him at No. 39, which is just a three-spot jump since our last update.
Though he hasn’t received a five-star rating from the other recruiting services, with the way he’s climbed the rankings, it’s…