Florida State has landed its signal-caller for the 2026 recruiting class, as four-star quarterback Jaden O’Neal announced his commitment to FSU on Sunday, flipping his year-long pledge from Oklahoma. This major addition to Tribe 26 marks a significant victory on the recruiting trail for Head Coach Mike Norvell and his staff, and frankly, a sigh of relief in finally having another quarterback in the class.
After the coaching staff was reset in the offseason, FSU changed offensive systems, and it meant parting ways with former quarterback commit Brady Smigiel. The new staff offered three new prospects (Bowe Bentley, Landon Duckworth and Keisean Henderson), but none of those panned out. The name that emerged was Jaden O’Neal, who was committed to Oklahoma but possibly looking for a new home as the Sooners began recruiting over O’Neal to try and get Bowe Bentley.
FSU got O’Neal on campus for an official visit and made him a priority. As fate would have it, the fallout worked in both programs’ favor as FSU landed O’Neal, and Bowe Bentley committed to Oklahoma soon after. It is an interesting situation with O’Neal moving from California to Oklahoma to finish his high school career. In his decommitment announcement, it was clear that how the situation was handled wasn’t appreciated.
O’Neal may not have been FSU’s first option, but I certainly don’t want it to sound like I’m saying he’s a bad option. This is a nice addition to the class because he is a quality prospect. O’Neal is rated as one of the top 15 quarterbacks in the 2026 class by 247 Sports. He sits just outside the top 200 nationally and is the top-ranked player in Oklahoma.
O’Neal brings a potent skillset to Tallahassee. Standing at 6-foot-3 and weighing around 215 pounds, his top attributes are a strong arm, deep-ball accuracy, and ability to make plays both inside and outside the pocket. While primarily a pocket passer, which isn’t the prototypical Gus Malzahn quarterback, he possesses enough mobility to extend plays and gain yards with his legs when necessary.
O’Neal spoke on Malzahn’s history with quarterbacks and mentioned that he’s had more traditional passers in the past. He feels he fits well within the scheme after conversations with Malzahn. Jaden threw for a little over 3,000 yards last season, a 61% completion percentage, and 28 touchdowns to only 4 interceptions.
The relationship between O’Neal and the Florida State coaching staff proved to play a major role in his decision. O’Neal cited the consistency and genuine interest shown by the FSU staff and a relationship with quarterbacks coach Tony Tokarz that dates back to his eighth-grade year as a key factor. He also highlighted Malzahn’s reputation for developing quarterbacks and his ability to “talk ball” with the offensive coordinator.
Jaden O’Neal joins another previous Oklahoma commit, Kevin Sperry, as the potential successor to Boston College transfer Tommy Castellanos after the 2025 season. With all the recent recruiting dust settled for now, Florida State’s class currently holds 15 verbal commitments and is ranked 15th in the On3 Industry and 19th in the 247 Composite rankings. Thanks for reading and Go Noles!
Quick look at O’Neal’s highlights from Battle Miami via Rivals
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