While the Sooners landed John Mateer from the portal, OU coach Brent Venables said he hoped to keep Jackson Arnold, now at Auburn, in Norman.

In his second year at Oklahoma, things did not go smoothly for quarterback Jackson Arnold. Oklahoma's offense was dealing with a lot of injuries and ranked last in the nation in sacks allowed, and Arnold was benched for two games early in the season.

The game in question is Auburn's SEC opener on September 20 in Norman against the Oklahoma Sooners. Those are Arnold's old stomping grounds, as he was recruited by the Sooners and signed with Oklahoma as a 5-star quarterback on the 2023 recruiting trail.