Oklahoma has introduced it employed Washington State offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle on Monday to serve in the identical capability for the Sooners.
Arbuckle, simply 29, has been the play-caller at Washington State the previous two years. The 8-4 Cougars rank twelfth nationally with 36.8 factors per recreation this season.
Arbuckle steps in for an Oklahoma offense that struggled to maneuver the ball and couldn’t assist an distinctive protection within the faculty’s first season as a member of the Southeastern Convention. The Sooners rank fifteenth out of 16 SEC groups in scoring offense and yards per recreation. The Sooners fired offensive coordinator Seth Littrell in October after a humbling loss to South Carolina. Joe Jon Finley stepped in, and the Sooners improved some as they targeted on a extra run-based assault. The Sooners completed 6-6 within the common season.
Arbuckle is aware of the right way to get one thing out of a quarterback — he coached Cam Ward in 2023, they usually teamed as much as assist the Cougars rank fourth nationally in passing offense. Ward is now a Heisman contender at Miami.
Earlier than his stint at Washington State, Arbuckle was co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Western Kentucky in 2022. He was the first play-caller his first 12 months as a full-time coach, and he helped the Hilltoppers end second nationally in yards passing per recreation and seventh in complete offense.
“Ben is an extremely passionate and innovative coach who does a great job of finding ways to maximize his personnel,” Oklahoma coach Brent Venables stated in an announcement. “He has developed dynamic quarterbacks in his young coaching career and sees the QB game through a unique perspective and lens, as he played the position himself.”
Arbuckle is worked up about his alternative.
“We’re going to run an attacking-style offense,” he stated. “I want to take the fight to the defense. I want to put our guys in position to be successful at all times and ultimately go out there and be explosive … I’m excited to get to Norman and get to work.”
Oklahoma had nice success with a earlier younger offensive coordinator. Bob Stoops employed 31-year-old Lincoln Riley in 2015 to revive the Sooners offense. After two dynamic seasons, Riley turned the top coach. On his watch, Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray gained Heisman Trophies and had been No. 1 general picks within the NFL draft.