Oklahoma Sooners QB commit predicted to flip to Florida State
Oklahoma Sooners QB commit predicted to flip to Florida State
The Oklahoma Sooners quarterback situation has been a roller coaster ride in the 2026 recruiting class. The Sooners have a four-star quarterback, Jaden O'Neal, committed to the class. He's been pledged to OU since last summer. However, Ben Arbuckle and Oklahoma's pursuit of four-star quarterback Bowe Bentley has put that commitment on shaky ground.
O'Neal originally committed to former offensive coordinator Seth Littrell, but remained committed to the Sooners throughout the offensive coordinator turnover that brought Arbuckle to Norman.
Since the Sooners offered Bentley back in January, the word was OU wanted to sign two signal callers in the 2026 cycle. Though unlikely, Oklahoma was able to keep O'Neal committed even as it pursued Bentley. But that commitment may not stick much longer.
O'Neal just completed an official visit to Tallahassee with the Florida State Seminoles, a place the four-star prospect has visited twice over the last few months. Not long after the visit, Zach Blostein of Noles247 issued a crystal ball prediction, expecting O'Neal to flip his commitment to Florida State.
"To see that energy displayed time and time again, it shows the consistency," O'Neal told Noles247. "And the support staff around him as well, it shows that he knows what he's doing. He has a couple vets in there, a couple Pro Bowlers. Coach knows what he's doing."
Head coach Mike Norvell, offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn, and the Seminoles have heavily pursued O'Neal over the last six months, hoping to pull him away from the Sooners. Though there hasn't been any decision made, Florida State looks like it has made a major play to get the blue-chip prospect away from OU.
While the college football world, specifically Oklahoma and LSU, await a decision from Bentley, O'Neal may not wait for an announcement to decide to switch his pledge to Florida State.
Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Rivals Five-Star: ACC storylines in the spotlight
The Rivals Five-Star, the marquee football event of the offseason, is less than a week away. We continue a conference-by-conference look at which programs should be paying the closest attention to the results from Indianapolis next week. Next up is the ACC. Advertisement RIVALS FIVE-STAR EVENT: Roster | Big Ten programs in the spotlight | SEC programs in the spotlight | Key QB storylines | Key RB storylines | Key WR storylines | Key TE storylines | Key OL storylines | Rivals Five-Star heading back to Indy BEST OF RIVALS CAMP SERIES: The five best QBs of the 2025 Rivals Camp Series regionals | Five best RBs | Five best WRs/TEs | Five best OL | Five best DL | Five best LBs | Five best DBs CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State CLASS OF 2027 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State ALL EYES ON DERREK COOPER Nick Lucero/ The top-ranked prospect in the state of Florida is considering multiple ACC programs near the top of his recruitment, with most of the attention centered on Miami. Derrek Cooper is fresh off of a visit to Florida State, too, following up his Georgia official visit last weekend. Advertisement Ohio State gets the next and final summer official visit out of the five-star running back, who has hinted at a potential verbal commitment sooner rather than later. Cooper is the most coveted recruit in South Florida, often its own storyline heading into any workout. He is also among the most tracked recruits in camp settings, having been a standout at the 2024 Rivals Five-Star after an MVP run at the Rivals Camp Series in Miami event last spring. CLEMSON'S COMMITMENT PARTY Excluding several top undecided targets such as Samari Matthews, Blake Stewart and others, the prospects already on board with Clemson command their own attention heading into the event. There are six Tiger verbal commitments expected to compete, matched only by the half-dozen Texas A&M pledges set to work out in Indianapolis. Advertisement The Clemson group is spread out, too, from quarterback Tait Reynolds to wide receiver Naeem Burroughs and a trio of big blockers up front in Floridians Grant Wise and Chancellor Barclay as well as recent commitment Carter Scruggs. Defensive prospects include many Tiger targets, but at least one pledge will look to make plays on the football in defensive back Shavar Young. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH CLEMSON FANS AT MIAMI DEFENDERS ON DISPLAY Nick Lucero/ Miami is another program with various targets set to work out, but the commitment group is also strong coming into the event with the second most within the ACC at three pledges. Advertisement Linebacker Jordan Campbell is a veteran of the Rivals Camp Series and has flashed as much as any linebacker over the last two years. There is a chance we could see him line up as a pass rusher, traditional linebacker and even play some offense during 7-on-7. The secondary group is big and talented overall, and the Hurricanes will have influence within as top-100 cornerback commit Jaelen Waters works out potentially alongside fellow blue-chipper Jontavius Wyman, who checks into the event as the nation's No. 2 nickel projection. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH MIAMI FANS AT MICHIGAN COMMIT ON FLIP WATCH Nick Lucero/ Advertisement Four-star cornerback Brody Jennings, a longtime Michigan commitment, has been coveted by a bevy of other programs since he made his early decision, and two of the top flip contenders are Miami and Florida State. What makes each flip case compelling, beyond official visits to Coral Gables and Tallahassee in the books, is the family connections to each contender. Brody's late father, Bradley, was a star at Florida State while his older brother made plays for the Hurricanes. May the latest Jennings wind up in ACC country as legacy suggests? SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH MICHIGAN FANS AT SUNSHINE STATE YOUNGSTERS SHOWING OUT Jeff McCulloch/ Advertisement There are just three 2028 prospects expected to work out at the Rivals Five-Star, Jayden Wade, Eric McFarland and Wonderful Monds, each hailing from the state of Florida. West Coast natives Wade and McFarland prep at IMG Academy and already sport national offer lists, including 10 combined ACC offers from the likes of Miami, Florida State, Syracuse, Virginia Tech and others. Monds is an Orlando-area standout at the quarterback position with eight ACC offers of his own, with SMU, North Carolina, Pitt, Georgia Tech and all of the in-state programs already to his name.
Associated Press
2 hours ago
- Associated Press
Patty Gasso to make broadcast debut for Athletes Unlimited Softball League
There's not much Patty Gasso hasn't done in the softball world, but she's found something new to try. The U.S. national coach who has led the University of Oklahoma to eight national titles will be on a broadcast team for the first time. She will assist Amanda Scarborough, Chuckie Kempf and Savanna Collins when the Talons play the Volts in an Athletes Unlimited Softball League game Friday in Norman, Oklahoma. Gasso, who has coached at Oklahoma since 1995, is taking advantage of the fact that the AUSL is using a traveling format in its first year and is visiting Oklahoma's home field for a series. She's excited about the opportunity to help with a game that will broadcast on and several regional affiliates and feels she'd regret not giving it a shot. 'It's something that I would wonder if I would be good at or if it's something I might try to do in the future,' she said. 'So that intrigues me a little bit. But I just like to talk softball. And normally, I'm in the middle of it, so I'm not really able to talk about it.' Gasso said she sees the action differently now that she'll guide Team USA into the 2028 Summer Olympics. 'Now, there's a different kind of interest,' she said. 'Now I'm watching and going, 'Okay, I see what we could do to help this certain athlete. I see something they're doing maybe in their swing that we know we could help.'' Gasso will be watching three of her former Oklahoma players. Sydney Romero plays for the Talons and Tiare Jennings and Sam Landry play for the Volts. Landry, the No. 1 pick in the AUSL draft, led the Sooners to the Women's College World Series semifinals earlier this month. Gasso said she's been watching the league closely and studies each game. She likes the fact that Athletes Unlimited added a season with a traditional format to its season with an individual scoring format, giving her a better idea of how the best players compete in a team format at the pro level. 'They care,' she said. 'They care about winning. And that allows you to watch a good product, because they're all fighting for it. They're fighting for something. And I never felt that until really AUSL came into the equation and had great structure.' Part of that structure comes from USA Softball's support. Craig Cress, USA Softball's CEO, said Gasso adds to that. 'What her and her staff have done in Oklahoma and what they bring and what I've already seen us be able to do with some of the stuff that we've done with national team athletes already — we're just really lucky that she has that same great desire to be a part of our program as she does to be an Oklahoma Sooner,' Cress said. ___ AP sports:
Washington Post
2 hours ago
- Washington Post
Patty Gasso to make broadcast debut for Athletes Unlimited Softball League
There's not much Patty Gasso hasn't done in the softball world, but she's found something new to try. The U.S. national coach who has led the University of Oklahoma to eight national titles will be on a broadcast team for the first time. She will assist Amanda Scarborough, Chuckie Kempf and Savanna Collins when the Talons play the Volts in an Athletes Unlimited Softball League game Friday in Norman, Oklahoma.
