Mississippi
Will Jackson Arnold transfer to Mississippi State football? What Oklahoma QB could add to MSU
STARKVILLE — Mississippi State football could be adding a former five-star quarterback from the transfer portal.
On3’s Pete Nakos logged a prediction on Monday, the day the transfer portal opened, for Oklahoma starter Jackson Arnold to transfer to Mississippi State. The Oklahoman reported last week that Arnold planned to enter the portal.
Arnold’s connection to MSU is obvious through coach Jeff Lebby, who was Oklahoma’s offensive coordinator in 2022 and 2023. Arnold was a freshman for the Sooners in Lebby’s last season before being hired by the Bulldogs.
Here’s why adding Arnold would and wouldn’t make sense for Mississippi State.
Why adding Jackson Arnold would make sense for Mississippi State
Arnold was a five-star in the 2023 recruiting cycle, the No. 10 player and No. 4 quarterback, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. He was the backup to Dillon Gabriel as a freshman and then entered 2024 as the starter when Gabriel transferred to Oregon.
Arnold was benched against Tennessee in Week 4 and didn’t play the following two games against Auburn and Texas. He was renamed the starter for the final six games of the season, though Oklahoma fired offensive coordinator Seth Littrell on Oct. 20. Arnold had two strong finishes to the season, rushing for 131 yards in an upset win against Alabama and 75 yards in a loss at LSU. His final stats for 2024 were 1,421 passing yards on a 62.6% completion percentage, 12 passing touchdowns, three interceptions, 444 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns.
Lebby has consistently found ways to get high-level production from his quarterbacks in his coaching career. While Arnold didn’t have a spectacular first season as a full-time starter, MSU would be banking on Lebby’s system to unlock his five-star potential.
Why adding Jackson Arnold wouldn’t make sense for Mississippi State
Mississippi State isn’t necessarily in need of a new starting quarterback. Blake Shapen suffered a season-ending injury after Week 4 and could return with a medical redshirt waiver from the NCAA. Freshman Michael Van Buren Jr. showed promise in his eight starts after Shapen’s injury. MSU also signed four-star KaMario Taylor in the 2025 recruiting class.
Adding Arnold could throw out any previous plans the Bulldogs had at quarterback.
NIL is also a factor. Funds aren’t unlimited. Mississippi State must weigh whether it’s worth investing a chunk of money in Arnold — and decide if he’s an upgrade over the current quarterbacks on the roster — or use it to address other positions of need.
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.