"Telling me to kill myself": Jackson Arnold reveals intrusive thoughts after being benched at Oklahoma over terrible performance

Jackson Arnold had a rough start to his 2024 season as the starting quarterback for Oklahoma.

Although starting 3-0 under Arnold, during a rough start to his game against Tennessee, he was benched in favor of Michael Hawkins Jr. After Hawkins struggled, Arnold was given another chance to start for the Sooners, and he managed to finish out the season.

After the season, Arnold decided to enter the transfer portal and has now transferred to Auburn. Talking to J.D. Pickell of On3 at SEC media day today, Arnold opened up about his struggles last season, admitting he received harsh messages on social media after his performance.

"Beginning of last year wasn't fun. I appreciate something like that, just to look back, that's about as low as you can go. Just being real. That's about as low as you can go in college football. Especially on the scale it is now, with social media everywhere - I got people in my DMs telling me to kill myself. It's unbelievable what social media has come to - but that's a whole different story.

"I guess that's about as low as you can go, just being there, and staying strong, it hurt. It hurt those first couple of days. Then that first week, we went to Auburn, I didn't play that game, and Texas, didn't play that game. It stung for sure. But the coaches around the facility, they had my back, they kept telling me, 'Keep your head up, man, you're going to get your shot soon.' Soon enough, I did.

"Came back in and kind of played free. Not without care, but, you know. Played a little looser. Tried to do what I could. Tried to finish out the season strong, man. I'm proud of myself for how I handled things."

Jackson Arnold awaits a fresh start with Auburn in 2025

NCAA Football: Oklahoma at Louisiana State - Source: Imagn

Jackson Arnold will get a new opportunity with a different program in 2025. After joining Auburn, he's expected to be the team's starting quarterback in 2025. With Auburn losing starting quarterback Payton Thorne to graduation and eligibility, the Tigers decided to recruit Arnold from the portal.

Now, with a fresh program looking to him to fill the shoes of Thorne, Arnold is hoping to get his collegiate career back on track in the great state of Alabama. Auburn will open up its season against Baylor on August 29.