The Sooners have their ninth pledge of the portal cycle, and it comes in the form of a very necessary depth addition to the quarterback room.

Former Western Carolina QB Cole Gonzales, a true junior with two full seasons of starting experience to his name, announced his commitment to Oklahoma on Christmas morning. He was on campus last weekend for an official visit, and made the decision to lock in with the Sooners despite offers from numerous other FBS programs. One of the most well-regarded signal-callers on the FCS level, Gonzales comes to Oklahoma with over 6,600 career passing yards to his name.

Gonzales, who is the son of Florida wide receivers coach Billy Gonzales, projects as the Sooners' third-string quarterback behind John Mateer and Michael Hawkins. He checks in at 6 feet tall and tips the scales at 195 pounds, and he has one year of eligibility remaining plus a redshirt, which could theoretically offer him the opportunity to use that redshirt at Oklahoma in 2025 and finish out his collegiate career in 2026. However, he'll be a viable emergency option if Mateer and/or Hawkins is forced to miss time.

After landing the portal's No. 1 player in Mateer last week, Oklahoma had placed an emphasis on finding another quarterback in the portal, as incoming freshman Jett Niu was set to be the only other scholarship quarterback on the roster besides Mateer and Hawkins. They found their man in Gonzales, who earned the starting job midway through his true freshman season at WCU in 2022 and never looked back. This past season, he completed 62 percent of his passes and threw for 2,543 yards, with a 12-7 TD/INT ratio.

Since entering the portal, Gonzales had also reported offers from Pitt, Charlotte and UTEP. He is the Sooners' second transfer addition from Western Carolina, as Oklahoma had previously landed standout offensive tackle Derek Simmons courtesy of the Catamounts. To this point in time, four of OU's nine portal pickups come from the FCS ranks.

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