Jaden O’Neal’s emotional breakup with OU was months in the making

For nearly a year, quarterback Jaden O’Neal did everything to be loyal to the Oklahoma Sooners, even when it wasn’t returned. But late Thursday night, the devout commit finally defected.

After multiple reports first, O’Neal himself then officially announced with a transparent statement on X that he decommitted from OU. He had been committed to the Sooners since June 24, 2024, and was the top player in the Sooners’ 2026 class, according to On3 and ESPN, as a four-star prospect.

“It is with deep gratitude and heavy heart that I announce my decommitment from the University of Oklahoma,” O’Neal wrote.

Jaden O'Neal decommits from Sooners

O’Neal was honest in his announcement. And even the things he didn’t say, he made loud and clear.

“When I committed to OU nearly a year ago, I felt a genuine connection to the program. I was recruited by Coach Seth Littrell, and I believed in the vision and support I felt from the entire Sooner family,” O’Neal wrote. “… I want to personally thank Coach Seth Littrell, Coach Jack Lowary and Coach Ty Hatch for believing in me - not just as a quarterback, but as a young man.”

O’Neal didn’t thank any coach on OU’s current staff in his statement. He thanked three coaches, and all have since left Norman after Brent Venables fired Seth Littrell midseason as offensive coordinator and replaced him with Ben Arbuckle from Washington State, which is when everything changed for O’Neal.

I talked to O’Neal myself after Littrell was fired. Even then, as the Sooners had a losing record, historically bad offense and it was unknown who would be OU’s offensive coordinator when he got to college, O’Neal was still adamant he’d be a Sooner and had faith in Venables’ leadership.

O’Neal even left his home state of California in March and transferred to nearby Mustang High School in Oklahoma to presumably be closer to OU during his senior year.

But when Arbuckle got the OC job, he offered Bowe Bentley, an under-the-radar quarterback also in the 2026 class, in January. Bentley then rapidly rose in recruiting rankings, even surpassing O’Neal. Offers poured in for Bentley, and he has since narrowed his choices down to OU and LSU.

Business decision after business decision in a sport that’s more business than ever before. Venables had to fire Littrell to save his own job, while Arbuckle went and pursued the guy he thought would make sure he didn’t end up like Littrell. No one can be blamed for their moves, including O’Neal.

“But a lot has changed since last June,” O’Neal wrote. “I understand that college football is a business, and with that comes constant change and the pressure to produce results.”

Four days after OU offered Bentley, O’Neal announced an offer from Georgia. Bentley then visited Norman, and just a few days later, O’Neal was in Georgia and was officially entertaining other options for the first time since his commitment.

O’Neal has taken official visits to Arizona and Florida State this summer. He was scheduled to be at OU on Friday, the day after his decommitment. Now, ESPN’s Eli Lederman reported the Sooners are trying to get Bentley back in Norman this weekend.

After his Arizona visit, O’Neal teased a possible flip for the first time in a social media post. Then earlier Thursday, Noles247 logged a Crystal Ball Prediction for O’Neal to commit to Florida State.

It was an inevitable outcome O’Neal prolonged for five months. Almost half of the time O’Neal was committed to OU, the Sooners were not. It’s been obvious he didn’t want things to end up this way. O’Neal wanted to play quarterback for OU, but in today’s college football, plans are tentative.

“This is not the end of my journey — just the next chapter,” O’Neal wrote. “I will take my talent where it is wanted, appreciated and needed most.”

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