Tag: Jaden O’Neal

Sooners projected to land 2026 4-star safety out of Texas

The Oklahoma Sooners have earned some momentum for a blue-chip safety out of Texas.

With football underway and the [autotag]2025 recruiting class[/autotag] pretty well wrapped up, Oklahoma recruiting has turned its attention to the [autotag]2026 recruiting class[/autotag].

The Sooners have three players pledged for the 2026 class: four-star quarterback [autotag]Jaden O’Neal[/autotag], four-star running back [autotag]Jonathan Hatton[/autotag] and four-star tight end [autotag]Ryder Mix[/autotag]. Those three commitments have the Sooners inside the top 10 in the early going, and they have a shot at another blue-chip prospect in the cycle.

Josh McCuistion of Sooner Scoop and On3 logged a prediction on Friday favoring Oklahoma for four-star safety [autotag]Jordan Deck[/autotag]. Deck is considered the No. 167 player in the country by 247Sports and the No. 256 player in the nation by On3. Both recruiting sites view Deck as a top 20 safety in the class while Rivals puts him at No. 32 at the position.

Deck holds offers from Power Four schools Arkansas, Baylor, Houston, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Penn State, Pitt, Texas A&M and Wisconsin. Deck is a teammate of Mix at Frisco Lone Star High School.

https://twitter.com/On3Recruits/status/1832082302714945745

Deck is 6 feet, 3 inches and weighs 180 pounds, providing good size to the back end of a defense. He does a good job utilizing his length in coverage to challenge wide receivers at the catch point. He shows off good hands when he gets an opportunity to make a play on the football.

As a tackler, Deck does a good job of getting his pad level lower to create leverage on smaller running backs and wraps up consistently.

For Frisco Lone Star, he plays a great deal in single-high and two-high safety looks, and he looks comfortable playing in man coverage and zone. He does a good job reading the quarterbacks eyes while staying aware of the receivers in his area.

With his size and length, Deck could be used in a traditional safety role or play the cheetah position in Zac Alley’s defense.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams.

Consensus 2025 five-star OT Michael Fasusi picks Oklahoma Sooners

Oklahoma earns a commitment from 2025 five-star offensive tackle Michael Fasusi.

Oklahoma has its big fish for the [autotag]2025 recruiting class[/autotag].

Since Brent Venables took over, five-star prospects [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag], [autotag]Adepoju Adebawore[/autotag], Peyton Bowen and David Stone highlighted their recruiting classes. For 2025, it’s [autotag]Michael Fasusi[/autotag].

Fasusi is a five-star offensive tackle prospect from Texas who hails from the same high school that produced Sooners four-star defensive back Jaydan Hardy last year. Lewisville High School, located just under 45 minutes from Dallas, has been kind to the Sooners in recent years, and on Tuesday, the Sooners reaped the benefits again.

Fasusi’s recruitment has been national since he was a sophomore when it was apparent he was heading for five-star status. The Sooners offered Fasusi in January 2023, and offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh has been relentless in his efforts to land Fasusi. Even with the rise of other highly sought offensive tackle prospects in this class, Bedenbuagh and OU remained in hot pursuit.

Their relationship was an integral part of the Sooners winning out.  Bedenbaugh’s track record is second to none in developing talent along the offensive line.

 

Fasusi is an incredible asset to the Sooners, and beating out Texas and Texas A&M is nothing to scoff at. Texas has been a major player in this recruitment, and at times this year, it felt as if the Sooners were in second place. Oklahoma weathered the highs and lows of the recruitment and advances from other challengers.

In April, predictions heavily favored the Texas Longhorns, but over the last week, insiders that cover the Longhorns began to flip their predictions to the Sooners. National recruiting figures such as Tom Loy, Matt Zenitz and Steve Wiltfong reinforced the shift.

Kyle Flood is a well-respected name in offensive line recruiting, so beating him and Texas, especially with Texas’ recruiting ability on the offensive line of late, is worthy of even more praise for Bedenbaugh and the Sooners as the dust settles.

On the field, Fasusi is a dynamic prospect. Gabe Brooks, a scouting analyst for 247Sports, compared Fasusi to a former Sooner.

Gifted O-lineman with true book-end tackle potential. Possesses excellent physical tools and promising athletic context in track and field and combine testing categories. Legitimately 6-foot-5 with long arms and a big reach. Wears mass well and owns space to add more bulk. Multi-sport athlete with 50+ shot put and 150+ discus prowess. Grew up playing soccer and is young for the 2025 cycle. Similarly explosive metrics in vertical and broad jump relative to OT projection. Shows foot quickness and agility to live on an island in pass protection. Nimbleness translates to movement ability in the run game. Flashes some punch power that should become more consistent with continued development. Improved phone-booth strength from sophomore to junior year. Length and athleticism help in recovery vs. twitchy edge speed, but will need to continue technical development to match P4-caliber foes at point of attack. Somewhat high-cut build and plays upright at times. Getting more comfortable as a convicted block-finishing presence, but can still unleash more mean streak. Entering senior year, looks like one of the nation’s top 2025 offensive tackle prospects. Projects as a high-major multi-year starter with physical and athletic specs that suggest early-round NFL Draft upside. – Brooks, 247Sports

As for the Sooner, Brooks had in mind as a comparison for Fasusi? Wanya Morris. Morris transferred to Oklahoma and spent two years as a Sooner before being drafted last year by the Kansas City Chiefs, where he is a starter on the back-to-back defending Super Bowl champs alongside another Bedenbaugh product, All-Pro center Creed Humphrey.

Oklahoma had to land Fasusi after missing on [autotag]Lamont Rogers[/autotag] and [autotag]Ty Haywood[/autotag] and trailing in the race for [autotag]Andrew Babalola[/autotag]. It was a non-negotiable as all four prospects were top 100 players.

Fortunately, the Sooners have their left tackle for the future. Pairing him with the fast-rising Ryan Fodje, an ascending player over the last year, as well as interior offensive linemen [autotag]Darius Afalava[/autotag] and [autotag]Owen Hollenbeck[/autotag] makes for an even stronger offensive line recruiting class. The Sooners are well positioned to keep [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag], [autotag]Michael Hawkins[/autotag], [autotag]Kevin Sperry[/autotag] and [autotag]Jaden O’Neal[/autotag] upright as the Sooners settle in as SEC members in the coming years.

With Fasusi on board, the Sooners vaulted from 11th in 247Sports team recruiting rankings to eighth, right behind Texas A&M. Fasusi becomes the first five-star offensive lineman in Norman since [autotag]Brey Walker[/autotag].

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes and opinions. You can also follow Bryant on X @thatmanbryant.

Sooners favored to land 2026 wide receiver Aljour Miles, Jr.

Oklahoma looks like the trending favorite to land 2026 wide receiver Aljour Miles out of Kaufman, Texas.

The Oklahoma Sooners have earned significant commitments to kick off the [autotag]2026 recruiting class[/autotag].

Four-star prospects [autotag]Jaden O’Neal[/autotag], [autotag]Jonathan Hatton[/autotag] and [autotag]Ryder Mix[/autotag] have gotten the ball rolling for the Sooners for next year’s recruiting class. As it looks to build upon it, OU appears to have some momentum in the recruitment of Kaufman athlete Aljour Miles.

Parker Thune and Brandon Drumm of OUInsider, along with Marshall Levenson, issued Rivals futurecasts favoring the Sooners in the recruitment for Miles.

According to Thune, the Sooners see him as a wide receiver at the collegiate level. Though he hasn’t been rated by any of the primary recruiting sites at this point, Miles has the athleticism to be a difference-maker out wide. He shows off good route-running ability and reads the ball well in the air. Miles has the ability to win deep and shows off good hands.

It’s likely he ends the 2026 recruiting cycle as a four-star prospect by signing day.

Miles holds offers from Oklahoma, Colorado State, SMU, Pitt, Tulsa, North Texas, UTEP, UTSA and Boston College.

 

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams.

Sooners pick up On3 prediction for 2026 offensive lineman out of Texas

Oklahoma Sooners predicted to land three-star offensive lineman Noah Best out of Midlothian, Texas.

The Oklahoma Sooners have had a nice start to the [autotag]2026 recruiting class[/autotag], picking up commitments from a trio of blue-chip stars on the offensive side of the ball.

Kick-started by four-star running back [autotag]Jonathan Hatton, Jr.[/autotag], he was joined in the class by four-star tight end [autotag]Ryder Mix[/autotag] and four-star quarterback [autotag]Jaden O’Neal[/autotag].

The Sooners have been at work this summer looking to move the needle with more prospects in the 2026 class. One player on their radar is Midlothian, Texas, native and three-star interior offensive line prospect Noah Best.

Best is considered the No. 29 overall interior offensive lineman in the class and holds offers from 10 Power Four schools, including SEC programs Oklahoma, Arkansas, LSU, Missouri, Texas and Texas A&M.

Amid these big-time offers, it looks as if the Sooners have a leg up in his recruitment. SoonerScoop and On3’s Josh McCuistion issued a prediction favoring Oklahoma in his recruitment.

Best is a 6-foot-4, 290-pound prospect who plays left tackle for his Midlothian squad. He moves really well in the run game, getting off the line of scrimmage in a hurry. Best is a physical player with the ability to block down on defensive tackles or get to the second level to take out linebackers.

In pass protection, he again shows quick feet to get into his pass set and anchors well on the bull rush.

Best is an intriguing prospect that looks to have four-star potential in the cycle. With experience at tackle, he’d provide Bill Bedenbaugh some versatility along the offensive line.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams.

Oklahoma near the top of ESPN’s top recruiting classes for 2026

Oklahoma Sooners have one of ESPN’s best recruiting classes for the 2026 cycle.

Recruiting hasn’t been a problem for [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and his staff since taking over in Norman. In fact, it’s been better than his predecessor. The Sooners have earned three top 10 classes in a row since Venables arrived, and it looks like they’re headed for another top-10 finish in the [autotag]2025 recruiting class[/autotag].

The recruiting success and a 10-win season in 2023 have the Sooners off to a fast start in the [autotag]2026 recruiting class[/autotag], already picking up three commitments. Interestingly for the defensive-minded Brent Venables, Oklahoma’s three commits for 2026 are blue-chip prospects on the offensive side of the ball.

The Sooners have pledges from running back [autotag]Jonathan Hatton[/autotag], tight end [autotag]Ryder Mix[/autotag] and quarterback [autotag]Jaden O’Neal[/autotag]. Each prospect is considered a four-star player, so it is no surprise OU has ESPN’s No. 2 class at this point in the 2026 cycle (ESPN+).

The Sooners’ past four four-star quarterback pickups have all come out of Texas, including 2023 signee [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag]. For the 2026 class, they have traveled a different path, pulling [autotag]Jaden O’Neal[/autotag] out of California. Among the most physically talented QBs in the class, he could be the player to replace five-star Arnold if he meets expectations. O’Neal has a strong arm with a smooth release and also can adapt well and do a nice job of changing arm angles.

The Sooners returned to the familiar recruiting ground of Texas to land ESPN Junior 300 running back [autotag]Jonathan Hatton Jr[/autotag]. He has a nice blend of size (6 feet, 205 pounds) and speed. As a sophomore, he rushed for more than 1,200 yards. – Craig Haubert, ESPN

There’s slightly less than 18 months until the 2026 early signing period, but Oklahoma has hit the ground running. It trails only Florida State and is in front of the USC Trojans. Syracuse comes in at No. 4 and Texas rounds out the top five.

There’s a long way to go, but if these last few years are any indication, the Sooners aren’t going to slow anytime soon.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams.

247Sports impressed by 2026 Sooners 4-star QB Commit Jaden O’Neal

247Sports director of scouting, Andrew Ivins, came away impressed by Jaden O’Neal at the Under Armour Future 50 camp.

[autotag]Jaden O’Neal[/autotag] feels like he’s due for an increase in ranking before all is said and done. The new Sooners quarterback commit is a talented prospect in a [autotag]2026 recruiting class[/autotag] full of good signal-callers.

Even though he’s already chosen the Oklahoma Sooners, the grind has not stopped for Jaden O’Neal, who went to Florida to participate in the Under Armor Future 50 event. The event showcases the best high schools nationwide in combine events, skill drills, and a seven-on-seven competition. It’s a considerable evaluation tool, and recruiting services from across the country descended upon the Sunshine State to scout some top-flight talent.

The event was two days, and on Sunday, Jaden O’Neal was named one of the offensive standouts by Andrew Ivins of 247Sports.

Ivins, the director of scouting at 247Sports, said this about O’Neal.

We noted that it was a promising group of signal callers and we felt like O’Neal had the second-best weekend of the bunch. Weighing in at just over 210 pounds, O’Neal has a sturdy frame and that allows him to generate plenty of torque with a compact motion. He flashed some side-arm action during 5v5 play and wasn’t afraid to challenge tight coverage windows. The Sooners are set at quarterback for the next few seasons with Jackson Arnold taking over, but O’Neal is someone the staff should be excited about. He will play his junior season at Harbor City (Calif.) Narbonne. – Ivins, 247Sports

The lone quarterback that Ivins believed was better over the weekend than O’Neal was the number one prospect in the class [autotag]Faizon Brandon[/autotag]. So it should speak volumes that O’Neal was able to elevate his play and come out as the second-best passer of the bunch.

With a big junior season, it would seem highly likely that we will see a jump in the national rankings for Jaden O’Neal sooner rather than later.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Bryant on X @thatmanbryant.

Oklahoma QB commit Jaden O’Neal named top performer at UA Future 50

Sooners QB commit, and four-star prospect, Jaden O’Neal shines bright at UA Future 50 event.

Oklahoma’s quarterbacking future is in excellent hands. The Sooners have depth on the current roster and have talented quarterbacks committed from the classes of 2025 and 2026.

Oklahoma’s latest quarterback, [autotag]Jaden O’Neal[/autotag], chose the Sooners during the last week of June over offers from Miami, Washington, Ohio State, and Florida State.

With his recruitment over, O’Neal’s number one objective is to continue improving as a quarterback so that he’s even better equipped when he officially joins the Sooners in 2026.

O’Neal took his talents to Under Armour’s Future 50 event, where some of high school football’s top 50 underclassmen are invited to train and compete in an intense two-day summer camp at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.

They utilize combined training and skill development sessions that are capped off by a competitive 7-on-7 competition.

Cody Bellaire of On3 recruiting shared his takeaways from the second day of the session, and he mentioned Jaden O’Neal as his third-best performer of the day.

Brady Hart wasn’t the only quarterback that shined out on the field during Saturday morning’s workout. Jaden O’Neal was out there throwing darts today. It felt like every station he moved to throughout the day he got better and better. He is able to generate so much velocity on the football and makes it look so effortless. He utilizes that dense build of his to get so much zip onto the football and he can air it out with ease. O’Neal showed excellent mobility and clean mechanics on the move as well. Even when he had to throw off-platform and rely mostly on his arm, he was able to show off the natural arm talent and ability to throw an accurate football. O’Neal has one of the bigger arms early on in the 2026 cycle and put together a stellar showing on Saturday. – Bellaire, On3

One recurring theme in O’Neal’s game is how effortless he looks as a passer. He has the arm talent to make every throw needed. His one area of improvement that other analysts have keyed in on is being more of a threat from outside of the pocket, and it looks like O’Neal was able to showcase his ability to throw on the move.

Oklahoma and [autotag]Seth Littrell[/autotag] have identified a talented player and should be extremely excited about what he can bring to Norman.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Bryant on X @thatmanbryant.

Oklahoma receives FutureCast for 2027 QB Peyton Houston

Oklahoma gets a prediction to land 2027 QB Peyton Houston.

Fresh off the heels of Oklahoma landing its top target for the quarterback position in the class of 2026, the dominoes have already begun to fall for the Sooners and their recruitment of the QB position for the class of 2027.

On Monday, [autotag]Jaden O’Neal[/autotag], a top-100 player and four-star quarterback from California, announced his commitment to Oklahoma. Oklahoma surged past Miami in the last few months and never looked back as the Sooners got their guy.

It’ll be a few years before O’Neal suits up for the Sooners, but Seth Littrell is already showcasing his ability on the recruiting trail. However, he’s not done yet.

Late Monday evening, Parker Thune of OUInsider issued a FutureCast predicting 2027 quarterback prospect Peyton Houston, out of Louisiana, will ultimately land with the Sooners.

Houston is a dual-threat quarterback. He can make all the throws but also has the athleticism to affect games with his legs. He has the ability to stress defenses by throwing on the run or in the quarterback-run game.

He stands 6-foot-0 already. He camped with Oklahoma this summer and dominated, which led to his offer.

One of his favorite players growing up was Oklahoma’s own Kyler Murray. Since he is from Louisiana, LSU cannot be written off, and Oklahoma will be fighting with the Tigers the whole way. Aside from those two, Miami, Arkansas, Texas, and Tennessee are among the other schools showing interest.

Still, the Sooners have already put themselves in an excellent position for the talented rising sophomore.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Bryant on X @thatmanbryant.

Sooners earn commitment from 2026 4-star QB Jaden O’Neal

Oklahoma is the choice for four-star QB prospect Jaden O’Neal who picks the Sooners over Miami. Ohio State, Florida State and Washington.

The demise of quarterback recruiting at the Univeristy of Oklahoma was greatly exaggerated. Seth Littrell wanted to ensure he reminded the rest of the nation of that.

The Sooners had a massive weekend, hosting nearly their entire collection of 2025 commits, plus a few uncommitted guys they are heavily pursuing. OU received even more good news on Monday when four-star quarterback prospect [autotag]Jaden O’Neal[/autotag] chose the Sooners over offers from Miami, Florida State, Ohio State and Washington.

Heading into his junior season, O’Neal is already a terrific QB prospect, yet he still feels like he’s scratching the surface of what he could become. He’s as pure a passer as Oklahoma has recruited in quite some time, with the arm talent to make every throw and incredible accuracy on short, intermediate, and deep throws, too.

While he may not be the dual threat like multiple quarterbacks who have taken the field in Norman recently, he makes up for it with his ability to sling the ball over the field. He’s a big quarterback prospect, too, standing 6 feet, 3 inches and weighing 200 pounds.

As a sophomore, he was credited with 2,475 passing yards and 27 touchdowns, completing 61% of his passes in 11 games. He’s rated the No. 91 player in the nation in the Top247 and the No. 6 quarterback. He’s rated the No. 64 overall player on the 247Sports composite and looks like a prime candidate to see his ranking improve by this time next year.

This is the Sooners third commitment of the 2026 recruiting class. Along with O’Neal, the Sooners have earned commitments from four-star running back [autotag]Jonathan Hatton[/autotag] and four-star tight end [autotag]Ryder Mix[/autotag].

With O’Neal in the boat, Oklahoma shoots into the top three national in 2026 team recruiting, trailing behind Florida State and USC.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes and opinions. You can also follow Bryant on X @thatmanbryant.

Sooners 2026 4-Star QB Target Jaden O’Neal sets decision date

Oklahoma QB target Jaden O’Neal set to announces commitment date coming soon.

In a pleasant surprise, Oklahoma’s top target at quarterback for the 2026 recruiting class announced on Friday that he would be moving up his commitment timeline..

2026 four-star QB [autotag]Jaden O’Neal[/autotag] will announce his commitment on Monday, June 24. His commitment will be a part of the College Football Recruiting Show from 247Sports and can be streamed on YouTube.

On Wednesday, O’Neal announced a top 10 list, but it looks like O’Neal is down to these five schools. Miami, Florida State, Ohio State, and Washington join Oklahoma.

 

Marshall Levenson of Rivals had reported a commitment timeline for July or August. The sudden shift in commitment date could only benefit the Sooners. Every prediction from any of the primary recruiting services has O’Neal committing to the Sooners.

OU grabbed the lead in the spring and has run away with it. After a successful summer of camps and visits, it seems O’Neal has seen what he needs to see and is ready to make his choice.

If Oklahoma were to land the talented four-star signal-caller, they’d get an incredible QB prospect with an extremely high ceiling. There’s reason to believe O’Neal could crack the five-star ceiling when all is said and done for 2026.

He is a genuinely gifted passer at all levels of the field, with arm strength to spare. He’s a pure passer with plus athleticism and has NFL size.

Oklahoma has two players currently committed to the [autotag]2026 recruiting class[/autotag], with running back [autotag]Jonathan Hatton[/autotag] and tight end [autotag]Ryder Mix[/autotag] pledged to OU. If the Sooners are able to earn a commitment from O’Neal, it will really get the ball rolling on the 2026 recruiting class.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Bryant on X @thatmanbryant.