Head coach Brent Venables wrapped up his third season at Oklahoma with a 6-7 record. Yes, there were problems throughout, like quarterback issues to their leaky offensive line, but the team couldn’t fire the coach owing to the buyout clause. Now it seems the Sooners have a different strategy in their mind and so, with new vigor and enthusiasm, they have started the much-anticipated rebuild! Their 2025 class speaks volumes about how Venables is making amends to fill in the gaps witnessed in the previous seasons.

They are ranked 17th nationally and have landed 18 commits and a whopping 15 transfers. Some of the players signed in their class outright scream talent. For instance, Michael Fasusi, the five-star OT, then Ryan Fodje (4-star OT), and Elijah Thomas, the 4-star wide receiver. However, the class is done and dusted, and now comes another recruiting challenge, i.e., the 2026 class.

Sooners’ 2026 class doesn’t look quite star-studded as of now, as they only have four commits. But they still had two of the most exciting prospects of the 2026 class, one of those being Daniel Odom (WR). He is 4-star rated and their other top prospect is Jaden O’Neal (QB). However, according to a recent revelation, the player has the chance of decommitting from the program. John Williams and Jay Smith talking on ‘Locked on Sooners’ provided what could potentially happen with the 4-star quarterback.

Williams stated: “Oklahoma Sooners quarterback commit Jaden O’Neal reportedly visited UGA spring practice on Monday, according to Steve Wiltfong and one of the Georgia guys over there at On3. A little bit discouraging, man. I’m a big Jaden O’Neal fan, I think he’s got a ton of talent. I think the ceiling is really really high for this kid, and we knew about the Bowe Bentley pursuit. Oklahoma is trying. Trying to add a second quarterback just seems like this one might be trending to where Jaden O’Neal might be exploring these other options pretty seriously at this point.”

Here is what’s happening. O’Neal committed to the Sooners in June 2024, but things have been looking odd for a couple of months. You see, new offensive coordinator, Ben Arbuckle, also offered four-star quarterback Bowe Bentley. Now the Sooners are looking to have multiple QBs in the class but that only screams more competition for the players. So perhaps O’Neal might be keeping his options open. In the past few months, he has received offers from a couple of schools and this includes the Georgia Bulldogs. Reports suggest he will visit them on Monday to attend spring practice. But wait, there is more to this!

Jaden O’Neal was not at the Future Freaks weekend the Sooners hosted. But guess who attended? Bentley!

One would wonder if this points towards O’Neal’s commitment softening. After all, Oklahoma has players visiting while staying committed. It seems like the Sooners’ QB vision might be changing roads in the 2026 cycle. Regardless, Florida State, Auburn, and Arizona are also actively pursuing the quarterback. Well, the rumors about him are raging, but didn’t he just move closer to the Sooner State?

Earlier this month, we got to know that the football player was moving from the West Coast to enroll at Mustang High School for his senior season. This means he will stay closer to the Sooners. Standing at 6 feet 3 and weighing around 200 lbs, this is the kind of player the school needs. His stats are also quite impressive, as he had 2,475 passing yards with a 61% pass completion rate during his sophomore season.

While we will have to wait and see what decision he makes, what’s going on with John Mateer?

John Mateer, the redemption hero for Brent Venables?

We all know why John Mateer joined Oklahoma for his 2025 season. To lead Oklahoma to at least a 10-win season, but also to maybe land a lucrative NIL deal; The same reason Carson Beck transferred to Miami, where he has now landed a $4 million NIL deal. So, it seems John Mateer has ultimately got what he potentially wanted, according to a recent revelation.

The player has landed a $3 million NIL deal that will see the player earning top bucks along with the dream to improve the fortunes of Brent Venables. This is important for the head coach, too, because this will be Venables’ fourth season and in the past three seasons, he has posted disappointing records. John Mateer comes at a time to save face for Brent Venables and act as a beacon of hope for the head coach’s future. The verdict?

Well, John Mateer surely has what it takes to take the next step at Oklahoma. In his last season, the player posted a 64.6% pass completion rate for 3,139 passing yards. Add his 826 rushing yards to the list and you just got a top-quality dual-threat QB at your disposal.

Oklahoma also would want it to work since firing Venables would be an extreme measure and a very costly one, too. The head coach has a $44.5 million buyout clause, and the Sooners would feel the aftereffects of his firing like the Aggies are facing after firing Jimbo Fisher.