Anticipation and apprehension.

Those were the words Todd Arnold used to describe his emotions Saturday at OU’s spring game, as he sat in seat one, row four of section 30 at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. The game meant litte to most of the 54,409 in attendance, but for Todd and his family, it meant a bit more.

His son, Jackson, was playing his first snaps as a quarterback at Oklahoma.

“They’re throwing him into the fire, huh?” Todd told Sooner Scoop, which sat with the Arnold family for part of Saturday’s game. “That’s good. He needs it. He needs to get his feet wet.”

Expectations couldn’t be higher for Arnold, who arrived at Oklahoma this spring as a consensus five-star recruit and who was considered by many as the top high school quarterback in the country this past fall. Sooner Nation hopes Arnold will be their next great quarterback, following in the footsteps of four Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks.

Those expectations were clear Saturday when Arnold received the biggest roar of the day from the crowd as he entered the spring game for the first time. And they got a little higher when a Heisman winner complimented him after the game.

“From what I’ve seen today, I liked it,” said Kyler Murray, who won OU's last Heisman Trophy in 2018. “He’s got poise. Obviously he’s a freshman, so he’s got to find his way.”

But for Arnold’s family on Saturday, they weren’t thinking about what the future might hold. They were going through other emotions, with the future far from their mind.

“I know what the expectations are, so I try to temper the results,” Todd said. “I try to keep it in perspective. I washed my hands of critiquing my son a long time ago. He’s his toughest critic. He’s harder on himself than I ever could be. It’s a learning process and I know he has to go through it.”

It was a rough start for Arnold Saturday, with his first two passes being batted down and him being sacked three times in the second quarter. He primarily played with the second-team offense and faced the first-team defense.

In his lone series with the first-team offense, he threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Gavin Freeman on the final drive of the game.

“Without that last drive, it wouldn’t have been as fun of a game, but I think that last drive put a great bow on top of spring ball,” Arnold said. “It’s been hard. It hasn’t been easy learning the playbook, going to class, going to meetings and stuff. It hasn’t been easy whatsoever. But I think that last drive and everything that’s happened so far in the spring has been really awesome.”

He finished the day 5-of-13 for 63 yards and one touchdown. He also had a 53-yard touchdown run called back as he likely would have gotten tackled for a short gain, though, it was still one of his more impressive plays of the day.

While it wasn’t the most flashy of performances for Arnold, it was clear the potential is there.

“Just proud of him for sticking with it,” offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby said. “With the way he started and the negative plays and the kind of situations he was put in as he was on the field, I love the way he was able to battle back and do some really good things there at the end of the game.”

The spring game, while inconsequential in the long run for Arnold’s career, was a momentous occasion for him and his family, though. The past year has been full of anticipation for the Arnold family, after he committed to Oklahoma Jan. 24. He finished his senior year at Denton Guyer High School on a high note, helping his school reach the 6A-Division II semifinals throwing for 3,476 yards and 33 touchdowns. He was named the national Gatorade Player of the Year.

But this is a new experience for Arnold. He enrolled early to help him adjust to college and be ready to back up Dillon Gabriel come September.

“This is a different territory. It’s all new for me. I did play at a small school, but it’s nothing like this,” said Todd, who played running back at Wofford College. “I know the fanbase is very passionate. I know they expect a lot. He’s probably going to be beat up for his performance today. But you just encourage him. He knows what he needs to do. It’s tough. He’s learning.

“He’s the backup here. He understands that. He has a lot of room to grow. He’s not going to be happy about his performance. He’s going to be ticked off about it. The balls batted – he’s going to want those back. He’s going to learn from it.”

Make no mistake about it – Arnold is Oklahoma’s backup heading into next season. And Gabriel is the starter. While some outside the program want to believe there is a quarterback controversy, there isn’t. This doesn’t appear to be a Spencer Rattler-Caleb Williams situation with Gabriel and Arnold, like some want it to be.

Arnold is the future at the position, and everyone knows it, including Gabriel, who has become close friends with Arnold and who Todd said he’s helping his son become a better leader.

“He’s a good dude,” Gabriel told Sooner Scoop Saturday. “At the end of the day, we’re all trying to play quarterback. Jackson’s next up. And he knows that and he’s preparing for that. I remember being in his shoes as a freshman and the biggest thing I learned was having a guy like McKenzie (Milton) at UCF. He was super helpful in my steps as a quarterback.

“I had that and so now I’m paying it forward.”

The next time we see Arnold play will likely be Sept. 2 in garbage time against Arkansas State. Who knows when he’ll make his first career start – if all goes well, it’ll be some time in September of 2024.

For now, he’s focused on contributing anyway he can as Gabriel’s backup, knowing his number could be called at any moment. And he understands when that moment comes, he’ll be held to a standard few are in college football.

“Just going day-by-day. Controlling what I can control,” Arnold said. “Especially today, controlling the plays that I can control and whatnot. Just keeping my head down, grinding. Not taking anything for granted. And just keep on working.”

As for Arnold’s family, the anticipation and apprehension will continue. Today was just the first step in what they expect will be a whirlwind of a few years in Norman. But they’re excited, too.

Excited for Sooner Nation to see what they got in Arnold, whenever that may be.

“He’s the type of person who will forget his good plays but remember the bad pass, the bad read, the bad decision,” Todd said. “He’s going to learn from his mistakes. He’s going to improve daily. I think he’s pretty much improved most practices this spring. You’re going to get a toughness out of him and they’ll see it eventually.

“He’ll prove to ‘em he’s a tough son of a gun.”