Houston, the Oklahoma Sooners have a problem.
OU's top 2027 quarterback target Peyton "Pop" Houston committed to LSU on Monday despite a hard push from offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and most recruiting experts leaning toward the Sooners.
Peyton Houston commits to LSU over Oklahoma
Houston visited Norman on Sept 6, when the Sooners beat Michigan in a top-20 matchup between blue bloods in primetime, and in which Arbuckle utilized quarterback John Mateer well enough to garner SEC Offensive Player of the Week honors. Houston took seven unofficial visits to OU during the recruitment process. He then visited LSU on Saturday, and apparently the Tigers convinced him to stay home in his final stop.
Houston could have been a cheat code in Arbuckle’s offense at OU. Last year as a sophomore at Evangel Christian Academy in Louisiana, Houston caught the attention of nearly every offensive mind in college football when he broke the national high school record for passing yards in a single game with 817. He finished the 2024 season with 4,480 passing yards and 38 touchdowns compared to six interceptions in 12 games.
Season Accomplishments:
— Peyton Houston 2027 QB (@PeytonHouston8) December 26, 2024
-Started 1-5…Finished 5-1
-#1 in the state passing yards
-State single-game record -817yds
-Class 5A passing record-4480yds
-1st Team All-District
-1st Team All-Prep Team
-LFCA 2nd Team All-State
Link:🔻🔻https://t.co/LaxVstNQhU pic.twitter.com/0dHB3NUrw9
So far in two games this season, Houston has completed 68% of his passes for 664 yards and five TDs without an interception, according to MaxPreps. He’s also ran the ball 21 times for 189 yards and two scores. In Week 2 of his junior season, Houston accounted for 505 total yards while throwing for over 300 yards and rushing for more than 100 in the game.
Those video game numbers by Houston drew offers from Texas, Clemson, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Miami, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas A&M and more.
According to the 247Sports Composite, Houston is the No. 11 QB in the 2027 class and No. 126 overall prospect. ESPN ranks Houston as the No. 1 pocket passer in his class. The only real knock on Houston is that he’s listed at only 5-foot-10. If taller, he’d likely be a consensus top-5 recruit at his position.
LSU got even with the Sooners after 2026 four-star QB Bowe Bentley committed to OU over the Tigers. Bentley will be the Sooners' QB1 of the future, but now Arbuckle will have to set his sights on a new 2027 target.
Read more about OU football recruiting