DALLAS — Jackson Arnold was introduced to Branson Hickman shortly after the Oklahoma quarterback walked off the field at the end of the Sooners’ spring game in April. The two hung out that night, and less than 24 hours later, Hickman — the offensive line transfer from SMu was committed to OU.
That was the start of a relationship between quarterback and center that has developed at a rapid rate in the three months since, as Hickman joins Oklahoma for the 2024 season as the projected starter at center following a mid-spring knee injury to Troy Everett. While there is limited team-oriented work during summer workouts and conditioning, Arnold expects his connection with Hickman will “really ramp up” once fall camp commences in a couple weeks.
It will be, arguably, the most important bond between any two players on the Sooners’ roster as the program heads into its first SEC season, and while it has not had an opportunity to manifest on the field just yet, Hickman’s resume has provided Arnold with a certain level of comfort these last three months.
“Just knowing that the guy who is snapping me the ball and basically controlling the O-line has that experience is very comforting for me, and I know that I can rely on a guy like that,” Arnold said at SEC Media Days.
Hickman started 33 games over the last three seasons at SMU, serving as a foundational piece for the Mustangs’ offensive line. A 6-foot-2, 301-pound redshirt senior,That makes him by far the most experienced and proven piece to the puzzle for Oklahoma’s rebuilt offensive line, which is replacing all five regular starters from last season, as well as a few other key contributors who made at least one start up front in 2023.
who also added North Texas guard Febechi Nwaiwu (1,612 career snaps, 20 starts), Washington guard Geirean Hatchett(335 snaps, four career starts), Michael Tarquin (1,135 snaps,18 starts) and Michigan State tackle Spencer Brown (1,485 snaps, 24 starts). That’s in addition to returning pieces such as Jacob Sexton and Jake Taylor, both of whom are expected to be starters or rotational pieces along the line this fall despite more limited action the last two years. Sexton started the final four games at right tackle last season and has played 481 career snaps, while Taylor has played 88 snaps over the last two seasons.
“I feel great about that group,” Arnold said. “They’ve been busting their tail all spring and all summer. It’s a young group. It’s a new group. We know we also brought in guys from other places that play a ton of ball. Branson is a great example. Played three years at SMU, starter there. We don’t have guys that have never played ball before. We brought in guys that are new to the OU culture, but I feel like they adapted really well, and I feel good about that group.”
Sooners will be breaking in a new starter at quarterback in Arnold and would do best to make his life on the field as easy as possible, but because of the emphasis put on the line of scrimmage in the SEC. Replacing an entire starting offensive line — and relying heavily on the transfer portal to do so — is no small task, and how well and quickly the unit jells will largely dictate the ceiling for Oklahoma this fall.
As Venables noted during his time in Dallas for SEC Media Days, the championship teams he has been a part of during his coaching career have featured excellent play at quarterback and in the trenches. Oklahoma believes that Arnold, a former five-star prospect who has all the requisite physical attributes, can deliver the former. It’s on offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh, whose track record of developing NFL-caliber offensive linemen is well-established, to deliver the latter.
“We’re in good shape, and we’ll find out where we need to be better,” Venables said. “And, again, I’m certainly far from satisfied…. So, wherever we’re at today, we’re focused on continuing to enhance that part of our team and to recruit more competitive depth. But I really feel good that we have somewhere in that 9-to-11 range on the offensive line that are guys that can play winning football for us.”