Latest news with #JadenO'Neal
USA Today
13-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
On3's Steve Wiltfong offers insight into Oklahoma's 2026 QB decision
On3's Steve Wiltfong offers insight into Oklahoma's 2026 QB decision The Oklahoma Sooners have just four commitments in the 2026 recruiting class, all on the offensive side of the ball. But, according to one industry expert, the biggest name of those four could end up signing somewhere else come December. That would be four-star quarterback prospect Jaden O'Neal, who has been committed to OU since June of 2024. The 6-3, 200-pound signal-caller moved from Narbonne High School in California to Mustang High School in Oklahoma for his senior season to be closer to OU. However, O'Neal committed to former Oklahoma offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Seth Littrell. He has stayed committed to the Sooners throughout Littrell's firing and the hiring of Ben Arbuckle. However, Arbuckle has also pursued and offered another 2026 quarterback, Bowe Bentley, out of Celina High School in Texas. Though the 6-2, 200-pound prospect is still uncommitted. He is a fellow four-star passer who has an interest in the Sooners. That development has led O'Neal to take a look at some other schools. Programs such as Colorado, Georgia, and, more recently, Auburn. But the biggest threat to flipping O'Neal away from Oklahoma is Florida State. O'Neal has already visited Tallahassee once and plans to do so again this summer. Head coach Mike Norvell and new offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn have experience flipping longtime OU commits, as they swiped Kevin Sperry in the 2025 class. Steve Wiltfong, who covers college football recruiting for On3 Sports, believes that O'Neal could flip to the Seminoles, stating on "The Wiltfong Whiparound" that the Sooners could lose a commitment they've had for almost 11 months. "He continues to have dialogue with the Sooners staff, and obviously has a lot of love for the school, the program, and Brent Venables as a whole," Wiltfong said. "And that was a big recruiting win for them when they landed him. But, with them recruiting Bowe Bentley, O'Neal is like, well, maybe I should see what's out there. And, there are some other schools that love him. Georgia was one of them, where I thought that they were the biggest threat to Oklahoma. Now you have Florida State and Auburn. And I guess if I were hedging, I would lean toward FSU now as the biggest threat to flip Jaden O'Neal from Oklahoma. And if I were playing out the dominoes, and nothing is certain, but my guess today would be that Bowe Bentley is a Sooner and Jaden O'Neal is a Nole." A choice like this would be important for any major program, but at a place like Oklahoma, where quarterback is an even bigger deal than just about anywhere else, the decision looms even larger. The Sooners are set at starting quarterback in 2025. John Mateer takes the reins of the OU offense in a make-or-break year for Venables and the program. The redshirt junior has two years of eligibility remaining, but a big season this year could lead him to go pro. That means that as early as 2026 or as late as 2027, the Sooners will be looking for a new starting quarterback again, post-Mateer. Michael Hawkins Jr. has starting experience, and would likely get the first shot at becoming the starter when Mateer leaves. True freshman Jett Niu and recent portal acquisition Whitt Newbauer make up the rest of OU's current four-man QB room. Newbauer replaces Cole Gonzales, who transferred to Oklahoma this winter, but re-entered the portal this spring and transferred to Pitt. But whoever ends up being the signee for the Sooners in the 2026 class, whether that's O'Neal or Bentley, could end up competing for the job in 2027, or even as a true freshman in 2026 if Mateer declares early. That's why Arbuckle's choice in this class is so crucial. The player that ends up signing with Oklahoma this winter represents the future of the quarterback position once Mateer and possibly Hawkins (or even Niu or Newbauer) move on. Signing both players isn't a very likely option for Venables and Arbuckle. So they had better believe that Bentley is the real deal and that he'll come to Norman. Because it looks like their grip on O'Neal is starting to slip away. Oklahoma can't afford to miss out on both of the talented QB prospects in the 2026 recruiting class. 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
18-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Oklahoma QB commit to visit ACC school again
Oklahoma QB commit to visit ACC school again Oklahoma Sooners 2026 quarterback commit Jaden O'Neal has been pledged to OU since June of 2024, but the Sooners could be losing their grip on the four-star prospect. After O'Neal took visits to Florida State and Auburn earlier in April, it appears he'll be returning to the Sunshine State for another visit. According to Noles247's Zach Blostein, O'Neal will be visiting the Seminoles again on June 15-17. O'Neal moved from Narbonne High School in California to Mustang High School in Oklahoma earlier this year, to be closer to Oklahoma for his senior season. But the 6-3, 200-pound signal caller has been looking elsewhere in recent months, including Georgia. He obviously liked what he saw in Tallahassee. FSU's Mike Norvell and Gus Malzahn flipped Kevin Sperry from the 2025 class away from the Sooners late in the process as well. O'Neal originally committed to offensive coordinator Seth Littrell but has stayed with the Sooners throughout Littrell's firing and the hiring of Ben Arbuckle to replace him. Arbuckle has been pursuing another passer in the 2026 class, in Bowe Bentley out of Celina High School in Texas. It's unlikely that the Sooners will be able to land both four-star QBs. OU's pursuit of Bentley has led to O'Neal taking visits elsewhere, and now with an official visit to Florida State set, the Seminoles could be in line to flip Oklahoma's prized quarterback in back-to-back classes. 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
03-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Auburn to host four-star QB, Oklahoma commit for weekend visit
Auburn to host four-star QB, Oklahoma commit for weekend visit Hugh Freeze and his staff will look to do their trademark "flip" this weekend when Jaden O'Neal visits the Plains. Auburn football is looking to fill out its 2026 class with a talented quarterback, and a worthy candidate will be on campus this weekend for a visit. Four-star quarterback Jaden O'Neal has scheduled a visit to Auburn for Saturday, April 5. An Oklahoma pledge, O'Neal will visit Florida State on Friday before making the short drive to Auburn on Saturday, according to Steve Wiltfong of On3. O'Neal has been an Oklahoma commit since last June, but Auburn and Florida State are looking to make a push as summer approaches. 247Sports National Recruiting Analyst Greg Biggins calls O'Neal "one of the best pure throwers in the '26 class" and says he has executed superior accuracy at multiple camps. Auburn has zero quarterbacks committed to its top-10 2026 class at this point, but could make an impression on O'Neal this weekend. O'Neal is the No. 1 quarterback from Oklahoma according to On3's Industry Rating, and is the No. 11 overall quarterback from the 2026 cycle. Oklahoma is the overwhelming favorite to land O'Neal, a native of Mustang, Oklahoma. However, successful visits to Auburn and Florida State this weekend could create a three-team race before December's signing day.
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
