Backup quarterback is a position few fans or coaches ever want to think about. However, it’s an important role to have decided before you go into any season.
The Oklahoma Sooners have zero doubt who their starting quarterback will be in Year 3 of the Brent Venables era. Jackson Arnold was tabbed long ago as the player who would be the face of the Sooners as they left the Big 12 for the SEC.
The quarterback room as a whole has seen a major reshuffle around the former five-star prospect. Former offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Jeff Lebby is now the head coach at Mississippi State. Former offensive analyst Matt Wells, who worked with the QBs, is now the co-offensive coordinator at Kansas State. Former assistant quarterbacks coach Matt Holocek followed Lebby to Starkville.
Seth Littrell and Joe Jon Finley 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. Kevin Johns, 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 got his coaching start working for former Oklahoma OC and current Tulsa head coach Kevin Wilson. Jack Lowary and Ty Hatcher were hired in December as offensive support staff, and both have worked with QBs.
Dillon Gabriel, Davis Beville, General Booty and Jacob Switzer all left the program via the transfer portal this offseason, leaving Arnold as the only player in the QB room that was here a season ago.
Behind Arnold, Oklahoma has four other quarterbacks on the roster heading into the 2024 season. Veteran transfer Casey Thompson, true freshmen Michael Hawkins Jr. and Brendan Zurbrugg, and late transfer enrollee Steele Wasel make up…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/oklahoma-backup-quarterback-2024-120025240.html
Author : Sooners Wire
Publish date : 2024-07-14 12:00:25
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