Should Oklahoma Sooners fans be concerned about top recruit not being invited to prestigious Elite 11 camp?
The Oklahoma Sooners have a quarterback conundrum on their hands in the class of 2026. They've long held a commitment from four-star Jaden O'Neal, who stayed locked in with the Sooners through a new offensive coordinator and general manager. However, the Sooners have been eyeing Bowe Bentley, another four-star and one ranked significantly higher in […]
The Oklahoma Sooners have a quarterback conundrum on their hands in the class of 2026. They've long held a commitment from four-star Jaden O'Neal, who stayed locked in with the Sooners through a new offensive coordinator and general manager.
However, the Sooners have been eyeing Bowe Bentley, another four-star and one ranked significantly higher in the 2026 class.
It's a bit of a cavalier approach to the most important position in football, but the Sooners feel confident that they will come out of the class with at least one of these two.
Thanks to a recent event announcement, however, Sooners fans are starting to wonder if one of those alternatives would be much more preferable.
The Elite 11 Finals tweeted out their invited rosters, with 20 quarterbacks attending the event. Bentley was named a finalist. O'Neal, notably, was not.
While the Elite 11 isn't perfect, it's long been a measure of quarterback talent and has been the place to land a future signal caller for years. O'Neal not being on the list, especially with five three-stars making it to the event, has raised some eyebrows. There were some skeptics in Oklahoma's fandom on O'Neal's junior season, and it seems that sentiment is shared by the organizers of the event. Perhaps it's why the Sooners have shifted their focus away from O'Neal to Bentley.
Bentley's name ranking that high after just a handful of starts to his career is intriguing, as the Texas product is a consensus top-ten quarterback in the class after leading Celina to a Texas state championship. With another strong season as a senior, I wouldn't be shocked if Bentley added that coveted fifth star to his name next season.
His recruitment is coming down to the wire between the Sooners and LSU Tigers. If Oklahoma can secure his commitment in June when he visits, the future of the team feels safe.