In an effort to select the best OC for his program, Sooners coach Brent Venables interviewed candidates and sifted through offensive plays for 2 months. Venables focused on overall effectiveness and rapidity on 1st and 3rd downs, in the red zone, and points per possession. Despite identifying a number of strong prospects, he kept returning to Ben Arbuckle, the coordinator of offense and QBs coach at Washington State. During the last 3 seasons, Arbuckle coached some of the most powerful offenses at Western Kentucky and Washington State. The numbers don’t deceive. With an average of 36.8 points per conference this season, the Cougars’ offense was rated 12th in the nation. He is definitely an expert! However, where is he coming from? What did he do as a youngster? Everything turns into an inquiry.

Arbuckle, who was born in Canada on September 15, 1995, was a standout QB at Canadian High School, where he recorded more than 7,500 passing yards and 95 TDs. He first committed to play football in Texas in San Antonio (UTSA), but he took a hiatus before enrolling at West Texas A&M University. In 2018, he earned a double degree in economics and finance. Then 6 years he landed 4 stops before joining Sooners in his coaching career. Arbuckle was appointed as the new offensive coordinator for Oklahoma on Monday, December 2nd. Pete Thamel, a senior reporter for ESPN College Football, broke the story first on X.

Explaining the reason for hiring the new OC, Venables highlighted Ben Arbuckle’s success with the team he’s had and his use of the Snyder formula as additional selling points. Although Arbuckle’s resume is short—he only called plays in high school four years ago—he is one year younger than defensive coordinator Zac Alley, whose hiring has so far been successful. So, it looks like we’re heading to Arbuckle’s!

“Ben continued to be at the top of the list. Just a short resume, but I look at the quality, not necessarily the quantity. And then I got to look at the other things — personality, maturity, leadership skills, colleague testimonials, things of that nature. What have they done with what they’ve had?” the head coach of the Sooners said.

But there is still uncertainty around Arbuckle’s coaching career. Which four locations did he coach before joining the Sooners? Let’s explore it in more detail.

Ben Arbuckle’s four stops

Following his graduation from WTAMU, Ben Arbuckle received an offer from Zach Kittley to work as a quality assurance member of Houston Christian’s coaching staff. Only a few years later, this partnership would turn out to be crucial in Arbuckle’s career. After 2 seasons of playing in Houston, Arbuckle returned to West Texas to work as a staff member at Seminole High School. The young coach rejoined Kittley at Western Kentucky after serving as the Indians’ QBs coach and OC in 2020.

Before Texas Tech was promoted with Kittley taking over as the team’s OC, Arbuckle had another quality control role. Following his work at WKU as a mentor to athletes like Bailey Zappe, he was hired by Washington State to serve the Cougars. The seasoned playcaller has contributed to WSU’s development of one of the best offenses in the country in just two years.

Texas Tech finished 10th in the same statistical category under Ben Arbuckle’s mentor, Kittley, while Washington State ended the season rated No. 22 in the Football Bowl Championship in total offense. Following a successful offensive performance for the Cougars, he was selected as a nominee for the Broyles Award, which is given to the best assistant coach in CFB each year.

Despite being just 29 years old, he has already achieved success at four separate locations. The young offensive coordinator has now secured a position as an OC at an SEC school a short distance from his hometown. Let’s see what went down in the future.