NORMAN — The Jackson Arnold era in Norman is underway.

The freshman became OU's starting quarterback once Dillon Gabriel transferred to Oregon on Dec. 9. Arnold is a former five-star prospect who 247Sports rated as the No. 10 player in the 2023 class, and he's now tasked with leading the Sooners as they move to the SEC on July 1.

But Arnold almost decided to commit somewhere other than OU coming out of high school.

In an interview with Red Dirt Rambles, a podcast hosted by OU teammates Nic Anderson and Kaden Helms, Arnold revealed that he considered committing to Notre Dame. But he ultimately chose the Sooners because of his relationship with head coach Brent Venables and then-offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby.

"If I wasn't here, I'd probably be at Notre Dame right now," Arnold said. "If (Lebby) didn't get hired here or if it were a different coach other than Coach (Venables), who knows where I'd be right now?"

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Anderson then chimed in with some insight of his own.

"I almost went to Notre Dame, but their dorms scared me away," said Anderson, who pointed to the community bathrooms as a concern. "That's what scared me because I'm low key a germaphobe. ... But it didn't end up being the determining factor."

But both Arnold and Anderson ended up at OU, and they're expected to be a lethal duo in the passing game moving forward.

Arnold threw for 563 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions in six appearances this season. Anderson also caught 38 passes for 798 yards and 10 touchdowns as a redshirt freshman.

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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU football QB Jackson Arnold says he picked Sooners over Notre Dame