Oklahoma’s 2026 QB Showdown: Which Final Two Schools Will Land the Game-Changer?

There’s a fresh buzz around the Oklahoma Sooners’ 2026 recruiting efforts as they tighten the screws on their defense, already locking in a solid six prospects — four offensive, two defensive. But here’s where it gets intriguing: the Sooners might just snag a second quarterback in this haul. Enter Bowe Bentley, a four-star QB from Celina, Texas, who’s caught the eye of the new offensive coordinator and QB coach Ben Arbuckle since he landed in Norman. Recent chatter reveals Bentley’s recruitment circle is shrinking to just two schools — Oklahoma and LSU — setting the stage for a high-stakes duel between two programs with a sterling legacy of grooming elite quarterbacks. Bentley, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound gunslinger, led his team to a perfect 16-0 run and a state title last season — proof enough he’s primed for the college level. But this QB recruitment saga isn’t without its twists; the Sooners’ current QB pledge, Jaden O’Neal, might be eyeing a different path as they pursue Bentley hard. If Arbuckle wants to avoid a quarterback conundrum in his first full recruiting year, landing Bentley may be the clincher. This developing story has so much riding on it — you’re definitely going to want to keep a close watch. LEARN MORE

But OU could be closing in on a second quarterback in this class. They’ve been heavily pursuing Celina (Texas) High School four-star QB prospect Bowe Bentley ever since new offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Ben Arbuckle arrived in Norman. On Saturday, the Sooners got good news on that front.Of course, if the Sooners do land Bentley (or even if they don’t) it could mean that the QB they currently have committed, Mustang (Oklahoma) High School’s Jaden O’Neal could end up elsewhere. O’Neal pledged to former OC/QBC Seth Littrell, but he’s stayed locked in with the Sooners.Both the Sooners and the Tigers have great recent history with star collegiate and professional quarterbacks. In Norman, Jalen Hurts, Kyler Murray and Baker Mayfield combined for five conference titles and four trips to the playoffs in five years from 2015 to 2019. In Baton Rouge, Jayden Daniels and Joe Burrow won Heisman Trophies and have joined the OU trio as NFL star QBs.

The Oklahoma Sooners have been adding to their 2026 recruiting class this week on the defensive side of the ball. The class currently sits at six commitments, with four on offense and two on defense.But with Arbuckle’s heavy pursuit of Bentley, O’Neal has been looking around, at places like Colorado and Georgia early on, before pivoting to schools like Auburn and, most heavily, Florida State. It’s looking more and more likely that O’Neal could end up with the Seminoles.

If that indeed is the case, Arbuckle had better land Bentley and convince him to sign with Oklahoma instead of LSU. If he can’t the Sooners will be left floundering at QB in Arbuckle’s first full recruiting season on staff at OU.Bentley is a 6-foot-2, 200-pound passer who led the Bobcats to an undefeated 16-0 season and a state championship in Texas’ UIL Class 4A-Division 1 as a junior in 2024. He was reportedly interested in Georgia as well, but after the Bulldogs landed Jared Curtis, there was no room for him in Athens. Now, he’ll choose between Oklahoma and LSU to begin his college football career.

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Bentley has reportedly narrowed his recruitment down to two schools, according to On3 Sports’ Hayes Fawcett. The Sooners are in his top two, along with the LSU Tigers. Bentley is On3’s No. 5 QB in the 2026 class.