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."

"I would lean toward FSU as the biggest threat to flip Jaden O'Neal from Oklahoma"@SWiltfong_ says FSU is working on a major QB flip 👀

MORE: https://t.co/d7YskTkEBTpic.twitter.com/B650UFbRX4— Josh Newberg (@josh_newberg) May 7, 2025

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.

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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Steve Wiltfong thinks Sooners 2026 QB commit could flip