Reunion or revenge? Transfers facing their old teams a new part of the season

AROUND MIDDAY SATURDAY, Jackson Arnold volition hop disconnected a autobus and locomotion into Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

He volition cognize his mode astir but won't instrumentality the acquainted way toward the location locker room. Nor volition helium enactment connected the crimson and achromatic Oklahoma jersey. Instead, helium volition suit up for Auburn and statesman last preparations for a crippled brimming with emotion and nostalgia.

Arnold, ESPN's No. 2 enlistee successful the 2023 class, was expected to beryllium the adjacent large backmost astatine Oklahoma, which has produced 3 Heisman Trophy winners, a Heisman runner-up and a bid of all-league and All-America selections since 2015. But a unsmooth 2024 play led him and the Sooners to portion ways. He entered the transportation portal and recovered a caller team. And, similar galore transfers, Arnold volition present enactment up against his erstwhile team.

"He's precise mature and helium doesn't springiness immoderate recognition to immoderate sound oregon talk," Auburn manager Hugh Freeze said. "He's a pro. We each recognize radical mightiness cheer for him, boo him, immoderate it is. I deliberation he's mentally strong."

Arnold's concern has go a play occurrence astir assemblage football, adjacent successful the young 2025 season. Last week, Duke backmost Darian Mensah returned to New Orleans and faced Tulane, the squad helium helped to a 9-2 commencement past play earlier landing an NIL woody with the Blue Devils that could wage him $8 cardinal implicit 2 seasons.

When Kansas State and Arizona met past Friday successful Tucson, information Gunner Maldonado and wide receiver Tre Spivey were suiting up for antithetic sets of Wildcats. Maldonado is successful his archetypal play astatine Kansas State aft 4 with Arizona, and Spivey is successful his archetypal with Arizona aft 2 with Kansas State.

Earl Little Jr. transferred from Alabama aft the 2023 season, slogged done a 2-10 run with Florida State past autumn and past opened this play connected Aug. 30 against his erstwhile team, signaling a team-high 9 tackles arsenic the Seminoles stunned the Crimson Tide.

Transfer reunions are present baked into this epoch of assemblage football, requiring a delicate yet intentional attack from each those progressive arsenic they effort to not lone get done the games but travel retired with wins.

"This is not new," Duke manager Manny Diaz told ESPN earlier the Tulane game. "There person been guys done the years we've had that person faced a erstwhile team, and surely successful pro sports, this happens each the time. If you contradict the affectional part, past you cognize you're doing yourself a disservice, but erstwhile you admit that the emotions are what they are, past it's inactive conscionable a game."

WHEN A TRANSFER reunion looms, coaches and players are perpetually taking the affectional temperature. Florida State's Little had to perceive astir the Alabama crippled passim the offseason.

"I had radical coming for my cervix each day, talking astir the large crippled oregon what I was going to bash and everything, but I didn't perceive to the extracurricular noise," helium said.

Arnold, who didn't conscionable with reporters this week, had a akin effect erstwhile asked astir Oklahoma pursuing Auburn's triumph against Read Entire Article