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USA Today
8 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
No. 1 offensive tackle in 2026 cancels Oklahoma official visit
No. 1 offensive tackle in 2026 cancels Oklahoma official visit The Oklahoma Sooners have received good news over the last few days in the 2026 recruiting class. But on Monday afternoon, their recruiting efforts took a bit of a hit with five-star offensive tackle Felix Ojo. Ojo canceled his official visit, which was scheduled for the ChampU BBQ on June 20-22. Ojo told On3's Hunter Shelton, 'Not needed. Nearing my decision a lot sooner than later.' Ojo is the No. 1 offensive tackle in the class, according to 247Sports, and a consensus top-five tackle in the cycle. The Lake Ridge, Texas product has already taken visits to Colorado, Ole Miss, Florida, Ohio State, and Michigan. He's scheduled to be in Austin this coming weekend. The Sooners currently have two offensive linemen committed in the 2026 class, Will Conroy and Noah Best. Oklahoma is also in a strong position for four-star offensive tackle Deacon Schmitt. Oklahoma and coach Bill Bedenbaugh put together a strong 2025 recruiting class with the additions of Michael Fasusi and Ryan Fodje and are off to a strong start in 2026. More: Oklahoma Sooners 2026 recruiting commitment tracker 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.
USA Today
7 days ago
- Business
- USA Today
ESPN thinks this 2026 Oklahoma commit could flip this summer
ESPN thinks this 2026 Oklahoma commit could flip this summer The 2026 recruiting class for the Oklahoma Sooners is shaping up to be extremely interesting at the most important position on the roster. By now, you've probably heard the details of OU's 2026 quarterback decision. Four-star QB Jaden O'Neal has been committed to the Sooners since June of 2024, but he committed to former offensive coordinator Seth Littrell. When Littrell was fired midseason and Ben Arbuckle this offseason season, O'Neal stayed committed to Oklahoma. But Arbuckle has been heavily pursuing fellow four-star QB Bowe Bentley out of Celina, Texas. While Bentley signing with the Sooners is far from a done deal, their interest in him could cost them O'Neal. It's been a cloud looming over the Sooners for a while, and it could lead to a storm this summer. At least, that's what Eli Lederman thinks. He used to cover the Sooners and now covers college football recruiting for ESPN. He wrote about how big June will be for the '26 recruiting class, and both O'Neal and Bentley were mentioned. He thinks Bentley's commitment is coming soon. The dual-threat quarterback from Celina, Texas, is down to LSU and Oklahoma. Bowe Bentley spent this past weekend with the Tigers and will make his latest trip to the Sooners this coming weekend, part of a swing of back-to-back officials that could help decide one of the most intriguing quarterback recruitments in the cycle. Sources within both programs feel confident about their chances with Bentley, who is likely to make a decision not long after wrapping up his pair of official visits early this month. - Lederman, ESPN. LSU has reportedly made a strong impression on Bentley over the last few weeks. He's certainly not a lock to land with Oklahoma, though it looks like the Sooners will get to make the last impression, as Bentley flipped his visits to put LSU first and Oklahoma last. Even if Bentley commits to OU, the Tigers will push to flip him all the way to December. However, LSU is absolutely in play to land Bentley in the coming weeks. That's why Lederman's comments about O'Neal, who visits Florida State on June 15-17, are concerning for Sooner Nation. If Bentley commits to LSU and O'Neal flips away from OU, the Sooners will be in a bad spot at a position they can't afford to be in a bad spot with, in an important class for the program, which also happens to be Arbuckle's first full class in his role. To their credit, members of the OU coaching staff did visit O'Neal at his home last month. The Sooners will also host O'Neal for an official visit for the Champ U BBQ. Despite 11 months spent in the Sooners' 2026 class and an offseason transfer from California to Oklahoma's Mustang High School, Jaden O'Neal could soon be on the move. The departure of Sooners offensive coordinator Seth Littrell last fall unsettled O'Neal's camp, and sources tell ESPN that the program's full-throttle pursuit of Bowe Bentley under new offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle has damaged the trust between O'Neal and Oklahoma. O'Neal visited Arizona over the weekend, and his upcoming official trip to Florida State looms especially large with Bentley nearing a decision and quarterback dominoes getting ready to fall this month. - Lederman, ESPN. Aside from Florida State and Arizona, programs like Colorado, Georgia, and Auburn have pursued O'Neal since Littrell was fired. O'Neal posted a picture from his visit to Arizona this weekend that could indicate his favorable opinion of Brent Brennan's program. Despite O'Neal's visit to Arizona, it's still Florida State who has been pursuing him the hardest. Steve Wiltfong, who covers college football recruiting for On3 Sports, believes O'Neal is a prime flip candidate. On a recent game of "Stick or Flip," Wiltfong said he thinks O'Neal will end up elsewhere. 'My gut says flip for a number of reasons,' Wiltfong said. 'First and foremost, Oklahoma is all in on Bowe Bentley. That is not a given that they are going to land him because LSU is very much a contender, but just the way it has kind of played out, and maybe it has already happened, but I almost think you have to re-recruit Jaden O'Neal. There are just other programs that have been genuine all the way through, so they have a shot.' The Sooners are approaching dangerous territory with the 2026 recruiting class at quarterback. If Bentley ends up at LSU, Arbuckle's pursuit of him and failure to land him could mean that he loses O'Neal, too. Oklahoma cannot afford to miss on both players in the '26 class, as the QB future after the 2025 season is a bit murky in Norman. Oklahoma currently has five quarterbacks on the roster for the 2025 season in John Mateer, Michael Hawkins Jr., Whitt Newbauer, Jett Niu, and Gavin Frakes. If Mateer, this year's starter, leaves for the NFL after the season, it'd likely be Hawkins' turn to step into the spotlight for the 2026 season. However, landing a blue-chip QB in the 2026 class will be paramount for Arbuckle, as that player, whether it's O'Neal or Bentley, could be in line to compete for the starting job in 2026, or potentially have the first crack at it in 2027 and beyond. Simply put, OU's future under center is at stake with what happens between now and signing day in the O'Neal-Bentley sweepstakes. We all saw what happened in 2024, when the Sooners were inexperienced at quarterback. Arbuckle was brought in to fix that. He'd better be sure he can convince Bentley to come to Oklahoma instead of LSU, because otherwise, it could cost him O'Neal in the process, whether Bentley ends up a Sooner or not. 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 Aaron on X @Aaron_Gelvin.
USA Today
14-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Oklahoma Sooners earn trio of predictions for 2026 linebacker out of Wisconsin
Oklahoma Sooners earn trio of predictions for 2026 linebacker out of Wisconsin The Oklahoma Sooners are beginning to put the pieces together on the defensive side of the ball in the 2026 recruiting class. The Sooners earned their first defensive commitment in the cycle on Tuesday, gaining a pledge from linebacker Niko Jandreau. OU is also trending favorably for Niko's brother Beau, a linebacker who was projected to land with the Sooners by Parker Thune of OUInsider and Rivals. On3's Steve Wiltfong issued a prediction favoring the Sooners for one of the more impressive defensive line prospects in the class, Brian Harris. With the possibility that the Oklahoma Sooners could lose up to three of their top four linebackers after the 2025 season and with light linebacker recruiting classes over the last couple of cycles, the Sooners may need to load up in the 2026 class. On Wednesday morning, the Sooners were favored to land three-star linebacker Ben Wenzel out of Appleton, Wisconsin. The Sooners earned a trio of predictions from Rivals national recruiting analyst Greg Smith and OUInsider's Parker Thune and Brandon Drumm. Wenzel's considered the No. 4 player in the state of Wisconsin and holds offers from Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Kansas, Michigan State, Minnesota, Army, Wyoming, and North Dakota. He received his offer from the Sooners back on April 29, according to Wenzel's X profile, and has an official visit set for the ChampU BBQ June 20-22. He also has official visits set up with Wisconsin and Kansas. Wenzel may not be the most highly rated player, but it's clear he's impressed Brent Venables, the Oklahoma Sooners coaching staff, and the front office led by Jim Nagy. Wenzel has good size at 6-foot-3 and plays linebacker the right way. He does a great job working through the opposition to track down the ball carrier and make a play. He has plus athleticism and flows well to the football. Wenzel does a great job using his length to keep blockers from washing him out of the play. Wenzel's a fast-rising player that's beginning to get more national looks across college football and it appears the Oklahoma Sooners have put themselves in a strong position to land his commitment. Highlights Watch Ben Wenzel's highlights on Hudl. Vitals Projected Position Linebacker Height 6-foot-3 Weight 215 pounds Hometown Appleton, Wisconsin Ratings Site Stars Overall Position State Rivals 3 -- -- 4 ESPN -- -- -- -- 247Sports 3 -- 97 7 247Sports Composite -- -- -- -- On3 -- -- -- -- On3 Industry -- -- -- -- Twitter 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.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Oklahoma 2026 Quarterback commit enrolls at Mustang High School
Oklahoma Sooners 2026 quarterback commit Jaden O'Neal has moved a whole lot closer to his future college home for his senior season of high school football. According to Toby Rowland, the Sooners' radio play-by-play voice, O'Neal has enrolled at Mustang High School and will start classes next week. He's transferring from Narbonne High School in California. O'Neal has been committed to OU since June of 2024. He committed to Seth Littrell but has stuck with the Sooners in the wake of his firing and eventual replacement by Ben Arbuckle. O'Neal ranks as the No. 11 quarterback in the country in the 247Sports Composite and is a top 150 player in the 2026 recruiting class. He's a talented prospect who has the ability to make big-time throws to all areas of the field. Arbuckle has also offered Bowe Bentley out of the state of Texas. Oklahoma is looking to load up on talented quarterbacks in the class but have continued to make O'Neal a priority in his recruitment. He's expected to be on campus for the Champ U BBQ in June for his official visit when the Oklahoma Sooners host a number of high-priority prospects for the big recruiting weekend. O'Neal's presence in the Sooner State will allow him to have greater connection with the coaching staff and make him more available for recruiting weekends, if he wants to be on campus to help the team recruit. I can confirm this. I as cleared and enrolled at Mustang at 2:15 PM today. We have an interview forthcoming on YouTube and story on He will start classes on Monday and be able to workout with the team starting tomorrow. Here are a few photos I took.… — Brandon Drumm (@Bdrumm_Rivals) March 6, 2025 This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Oklahoma QB Commit Jaden O'Neal transfers to Mustang for 2026
