The Oklahoma Sooners apparently want two quarterbacks for their 2026 recruiting class.
The Sooners on Friday offered Navy All-American quarterback Bowe Bentley. OU already has one quarterback committed from the 2026 class in Jaden O'Neal, but Seth Littrell was the one who initially landed O'Neal. Bentley was the first high school quarterback Ben Arbuckle offered since becoming OU's offensive coordinator.
#AGTG After a great conversation with @CoachVenables and @arbuckle_ben, I am blessed to receive an offer from The University of Oklahoma!! @Nathaneelliott1 @DamianDevon @RecruitCelinaFB @dctf @247recruiting @Rivals @On3sports @OU_Football pic.twitter.com/fVE8d2QzQt
— Bowe Bentley (@bowebentley) January 24, 2025
Bentley is a four-star recruit out of Celina High School in Texas. 247Sports is the highest on Bentley, ranking him as the 11th-best quarterback in the 2024 class. On3 gave Bentley three stars, while Rivals hasn't rated him yet.
Friday was a full day for Bentley, who garnered four offers on the day, including OU, Oklahoma State, Missouri and Virginia Tech. Bentley also already held offers from Arizona, Boston College, California, Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, Kansas State, Texas Tech, Tulane, UCF, Wisconsin and more.
Bentley's stock has drastically risen since an impressive showing during the Navy All-American Bowl earlier this month. He also had an astonishing junior season, throwing for 3,467 yards and 52 TDs. He also rushed for 991 yards and 16 scores.
For OU fans curious about the #Sooners newest QB offer, check out some of his highlights at the UIL state title game last month.https://t.co/A7eSa9WX8O
— Randall Sweet (@RandallSweet5) January 24, 2025
There's no confusion on why the Sooners would offer Bentley based on his ability, but it is a head-scratcher considering they already have a four-star quarterback committed from 2026. O'Neal has assured his commitment to the Sooners to numerous outlets this month and will be in Norman this weekend for OU's junior day.
Here's a comparison of the two:
Jaden O'Neal | Bowe Bentley | |
|---|---|---|
Height, Weight | 6-3, 200 | 6-2, 200 |
Style | Pro Style | Dual Threat |
Stars | **** | **** |
247Sports | No. 12 (No. 6 Composite) | No. 11 (No. 16 Composite) |
Rivals | No. 4 | N/A |
On3 | No. 8 | No. 26 |
The first difference noticed is that Bentley is a dual-threat QB, but O'Neal can also move when he needs to. O'Neal also has better ratings and rankings all around.
However, Bentley has just recently exploded onto the scene. Rivals doesn't even have Bentley on its radar yet. Considering his performance during the Navy All-American Bowl and his recent influx of offers, Bentley will soon rise in all of these rankings.
Bentley has also told multiple outlets that being a Sooner is a "childhood dream" for him.
It's likely the Sooners don't actually plan on having two quarterbacks sign come December, unless this is a new plan with the likelihood of one of them leaving eventually in today's college football world. The other scenario is we soon hear that O'Neal is looking elsewhere, or there's at least worry in that.
Regardless, this is a win-win situation for Arbuckle and the Sooners as long as they get at least one of them to Norman.