FSU football coaches haven’t secured a commitment at the quarterback position in the 2026 class since Brady Smigiel de-committed in January.
The Noles offered several targets immediately after Smigiel de-committed. One of those top targets, Bowe Bentley, is no longer considering FSU after visiting for Legacy Weekend.
The other top target is Landon Duckworth, and he has visited Ole Miss at least twice this spring and received a crystal ball prediction in their favor on Sunday. However, he has an official visit set for FSU in June. Can FSU coaches get him to campus before then? If not, he’s not coming to FSU.
The coaches continue to work and have been in contact with a four-star quarterback they offered before Bentley or Duckworth. Four-star quarterback Jaden O’Neal received an FSU offer in February 2024 and camped at FSU in the summer of 2024 before committing to Oklahoma in June.
O’Neal moved from California to Oklahoma this spring to play high school football. Ironically, FSU freshman QB Kevin Sperry followed a similar path as an Oklahoma commit.
He moved to Oklahoma to play before transferring to Texas for his senior season. Sperry de-committed from Oklahoma late in the recruiting process and flipped to FSU before signing in December.
Oklahoma changed its offensive coordinator after the 2024 season, and the new coordinator seems to like four-star quarterback Bowe Bentley quite a bit. News broke a few days ago that O’Neal will visit FSU in the first week of April to observe a spring practice.
That’s notable for a guy committed to a school for some time. FSU fans saw it when Brady Smigiel visited Washington before he de-committed. It’s still early, and Bentley won’t officially visit Oklahoma until June.
However, it’s plausible to think O’Neal is looking at his options with Oklahoma entertaining other quarterbacks.
Is he a fit for Gus Malzahn’s offense? He’s 6’3″ and 200 pounds, but more of a pro-style passer than dual-threat. He completed 71 percent of his passes for 1,798 yards, 16 touchdowns, and one interception in eight games as a junior. He also had 21 carries for 122 yards and four touchdowns on the ground.
He could work in Malzhan’s system, especially if the offensive line is up to par and FSU has a running game with its running backs. O’Neal ranks as the No. 138 player nationally, No. 11 QB, and No. 1 player in Oklahoma.
While quarterback recruiting is still a question mark for the 2026 class, it’s good to see the staff creating quality options. It would be crazy to flip a four-star quarterback from Oklahoma for the second consecutive recruiting cycle. We’ll have to see how this plays out, but QB dominoes can start falling quickly.
