Oklahoma Sooners target makes major move up On3 recruiting rankings

The Oklahoma Sooners have been one of the best teams in college football at the quarterback position over the years, going back to the Split-T formation days under Bud Wilkinson and the Wishbone formation days under Barry Switzer. Quarterbacks from the past, like Jimmy Harris, Jack Mildren, Steve Davis, Thomas Lott, J.C. Watts, Danny Bradley, and Jamelle Holieway, ran the triple option to perfection in the 20th century.

Under head coaches Bob Stoops, Lincoln Riley, and Brent Venables in the 21st century, the Sooners have continued their dominance at the QB position with modern stars running variations of the Air Raid and Spread offenses. Names like Josh Heupel, Jason White, Sam Bradford, Landry Jones, Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, Jalen Hurts, Caleb Williams, and Dillon Gabriel shined as the modern signal-callers for the Oklahoma Sooners.

However, Oklahoma is looking to get back on top at the quarterback position. 2024 was a rare down year at QB. Jackson Arnold, once thought to be the next great passer in Oklahoma’s illustrious lineage, struggled in nine starts and transferred to Auburn.

As Venables and new offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle re-evaluate the position, the transfer portal addition of John Mateer will help smooth things over for the next year (or two). Michael Hawkins Jr. returned to the program this winter and will back up Mateer before being the presumed favorite to take over once Mateer goes to the NFL. The Sooners also added Jett Niu to their 2025 recruiting class after losing Kevin Sperry to Florida State.

OU has had plenty of recent success with transfer QBs like Mateer over the last decade, but has struggled to develop and retain their own recruits and/or commitments.

The hope inside the Switzer Center is that Venables and Arbuckle can turn that around, beginning with Mateer, then possibly Hawkins or even Niu. But what about the class of 2026, which will be Arbuckle’s first real recruiting class on staff?

The Sooners already have a commitment from four-star prospect Jaden O’Neal out of California, who pledged under previous offensive coordinator Seth Littrell and stayed committed once Littrell was dismissed and Arbuckle was later hired. Standing 6-foot-3 and weighing 200 pounds from Narbonne High School, where he transferred for his senior season, O’Neal has been committed to the Sooners since late June. He’s got a big-time arm and is the No. 21 QB in 2026, according to On3.

But the Sooners have also been pursuing four-star prospect Bowe Bentley out of Texas. And Bentley is beginning to gain some steam on the recruiting trail.

On3 released their biggest risers in their new On300 rankings on Monday. Bentley shot up the board, going from unranked to No. 45.

Standing 6-foot-2 and weighing 200 pounds from Celina High School, Bentley won a state championship last season at the 4A-DI level. He’s a dual-threat with traits similar to Mateer and is the No. 10 QB in the 247Sports composite rankings. He received an offer from the Oklahoma Sooners back on January 24, as the Sooners anticipate needing multiple quarterbacks in the 2026 cycle.

This is a pivotal situation for Oklahoma, as the need to get back on track at the QB position after it was a weak spot in a very poor 2024 season. There’s an extremely high standard at OU that has to be upheld if the Sooners are going to get back to their winning ways.

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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Oklahoma Sooners QB target makes big rankings jump