Once this became clear about Jackson Arnold, OU had to change quarterbacks

Brent Venables risked losing his locker room had he not gone to Michael Hawkins Jr.

(Twitter via OU_Football)

NORMAN — No one knows how Michael Hawkins Jr. will play as OU's starting quarterback.

Not on Saturday at Auburn.

Not the rest of this season.

If we've learned anything from the Jackson Arnold Era, it's that you can't know how a quarterback will perform under fire until they're in the frying pan.

And still, Brent Venables had to make this move.

Changing quarterbacks has always been a big deal. It will always be one, too. The ramifications are numerous and varied. Everything from locker-room chemistry to fade-route timing can get thrown off. Now in the NIL era, there are new issues brought on by big money.

Exactly how much Arnold is making through NIL isn't known, but with his valuations around $750,000, it's safe to assume he's well into six figures if not seven. If OU's collective (and by extension, its boosters) is paying him that much, it might be difficult to bench him.

Like paying Jimbo Fisher $76.8 million not to coach.

But here's something that hasn't changed: if you keep playing a guy who doesn't give you the best chance to win, a coach can completely lose his locker team.

After watching Arnold through five starts — last season's Alamo Bowl and the first four games of this season — it became increasingly impossible to believe he gives the Sooners the best chance of victory. Maybe there was a time when that was the case. Maybe there will come a time when it will be again.

Right now, Arnold is too mistake-prone.

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Eight giveaways in five starts. That is unacceptable. And if you want to throw out those games against Temple and Houston because of how bad the Owls and Cougars are, that means against Arizona in the bowl, then Tulane and Tennessee this season, Arnold had eight giveaways in less than 10 quarters.

And Saturday against Tennessee, each of his three turnovers came at crucial junctures.

After the OU defense got back-to-back three-and-outs to start the game, Arnold and the offense were almost to midfield when he threw a pass several yards short of the intended receiver. It was intercepted.

Worse, Deion Burks broke wide open on the play.

Then early in the second quarter after the OU defense forced and recovered a fumble on the Tennessee 5-yard line, Arnold fumbled the ball on the very next play.

A few minutes later, the specifics changed but not the maddening result.

The OU defense forced and recovered a fumble. It wasn't in the red zone this time, but at the Tennessee 33, it was still an extremely short field for the OU offense. But the very next play, Arnold threw a backward pass that was short of the target, bounced away and was recovered by Tennessee.

"The turnovers and where they were at were really a real issue, obviously," Venables said. "Sometimes, you can overcome those."

Not this time.

"When you get the ball either in plus territory or right there at midfield and you can’t capitalize, not only not capitalize but you turn the ball right back over again," he said, "that’s a recipe to lose."

Arnold's play didn't give his team the best chance of winning, and that has become a trend.

His teammates know it. Even though they're like the rest of us — they don't know how Hawkins is going to play — they have come to know with certainty that Arnold has killed their chances of victory.

Had Venables stuck with Arnold, what message would that have sent to Burks as he's running around trying to get open? Or Danny Stutsman as he's trying to shed a defensive lineman and get to the quarterback? Or Billy Bowman as he's sprinting to keep up with an opposing receiver?

Doubts would've started to creep into their minds.

Why am I out here busting my butt?

Is it really worth it?

Listen, I'm not doubting any of those guys' integrity. But human nature is a powerful force. Venables knew if he left Arnold in much longer, that decision could adversely impact other parts of the team.

"Certainly lots of issues, for lack of a better word," Venables said, alluding to the fact that the offensive woes haven't all been Arnold's fault, "but making good decisions and putting us in good position is part of everyone’s job."

Venables mentioned later that if Stutsman doesn't do what he's supposed to, doesn't do it repeatedly and it results in big plays for the other team, "his butt's coming out."

Same with the quarterback.

But of course, that position is different than any other. If the starting linebacker gets benched for a couple of possessions, some people notice, but if the starting quarterback gets benched, there's a breaking news alert blowing up cell phones and scrolling across ESPN's ticker.

What Venables did temporarily on Saturday and officially on Monday was no small thing.

It was also a necessary thing.

How Hawkins plays moving forward will determine whether the quarterback change is permanent. Yes, the true freshman will make his first start not only on the road but also at Jordan-Hare Stadium, a place that arguably has the best home-field advantage in the SEC. Sure, it will be a challenge.

"He hasn’t played a whole bunch of college football," Venables acknowledged. "He hasn’t been to that stadium. So try to paint the picture. Pump in the crowd noise. Tell him to focus on the things you can control. If he’s a strong-minded guy, he’ll do that.

"He’ll have to bear a heavy burden, like a lot of guys."

But Hawkins' burden is different. The quarterback's always is. And that load gets even bigger when you're taking over for the five-star quarterback who was supposed to be the next great one.

Even if the change was absolutely right.