Oklahoma Sooners class of 2026 quarterback commit Jaden O’Neal has been pledged to OU since June of 2024. However, it looks as though the Sooners could be losing their grip on the four-star prospect.
Steve Wiltfong, who covers college football recruiting and the transfer portal for On3 Sports, reported that O’Neal is visiting two other programs this week. Wiltfong’s report states that O’Neal is visiting the Florida State Seminoles on Thursday and the Auburn Tigers on Saturday.
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FSU, which recently flipped OU’s original 2025 commit at QB, Kevin Sperry, has a new offensive coordinator this season in Gus Malzahn. The veteran coach left UCF this winter to call the plays in Tallahassee for Mike Norvell. Malzahn was the offensive coordinator at Auburn when they won the national title in 2010, and the head coach when they played for the national championship in 2013.
The Tigers will start Jackson Arnold, OU’s most recent full-time quarterback starter, this season. The former Sooner entered the transfer portal after the 2024 regular season and committed to Hugh Freeze and Auburn.
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. Florida State and Auburn aren’t the only programs interested in O’Neal, as he has also taken unofficial visits to Colorado and Georgia.
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O’Neal is one of just four current commits in OU’s 2026 class. He moved from Narbonne High School in California to Mustang High School in Oklahoma earlier this month. He is 247Sports Composite’s No. 11 quarterback in the 2026 recruiting class.
Since taking command of the offense and the quarterback position, Arbuckle has shown plenty of interest in another four-star QB in the ’26 class, Bowe Bentley out of Celina (Texas) High School. Bentley has an offer from Oklahoma, but has yet to commit. He’s been a bit of a late bloomer, seeing his stock rise dramatically this winter after leading Celina to an undefeated season and a state championship. He is 247Sports Composite’s No. 10 quarterback in the 2026 recruiting class.
Arbuckle and head coach Brent Venables will likely have to pick between O’Neal and Bentley, as it’s unlikely that both will want to commit to the same school in the same class. Both are rated highly enough that they would hope to be the only QB a school takes in that years’ crop.
Arbuckle has the position set for at least 2025 with John Mateer, who has two years of eligibility remaining. If Mateer goes to the NFL after a big season, it’ll likely be the returning Michael Hawkins Jr. who’d have the leg up on the spot in 2026. Cole Gonzales and Jett Niu join Mateer as newcomers that Arbuckle has brought in since taking the reins. The spring transfer portal window offers a final chance to add depth at the position before the season begins.
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That’s why OU’s pick in the 2026 class is so important, especially considering that Mateer could go pro if he has a big year this year. The Sooners will need someone who isn’t one of the four players on their current roster at the quarterback position to take the reins at some point fairly soon. That player will likely be O’Neal or Bentley, whichever player ends up signing with Oklahoma.
If the Sooners want that to be O’Neal, they may need to re-affirm their commitment to him. Otherwise, he may seek greener pastures at a place like Florida State or Auburn.
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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Oklahoma 2026 QB commit to visit Auburn and Florida State
