Mailbag time!!
It's not often we do one of these, but with a reset in progress for Oklahoma as they shift into full-throttle pursuit of 2026 targets, the board is large and y'all have a myriad of questions. So let's dive into them one at a time, beginning with the all-important quarterback position and a potential quandary for the Sooners.
It's different strokes for different folks between those two. O'Neal is more of the classic quarterback prospect, a muscled-up field general with a conventional overhand arm slot and loads of zip on the football. Bentley is a more modern signal-caller, a mobile and athletic scramble artist who can make quick reads from the pocket but also excels at going off-script. As to whether Oklahoma can afford both, that's a great question that might not be answered until very late in the cycle. Let's say Bentley commits (which is a very realistic possibility right now) and gives the Sooners two QB's in the 2026 class. Until ink hits paper on signing day, Lord knows other elite programs across the country will be whispering in the respective ears of both O'Neal and Bentley. Are you sure you want to go play for a school where you're not THE guy? Do they really believe in you if they're feeling the need to take another quarterback besides you? And obviously, the promises of NIL money will accompany those pitches. O'Neal and Bentley both have offer sheets littered with nationally competitive schools; Ohio State just threw a hat in the ring for Bentley yesterday.
Even if Oklahoma were to get both Bentley and O'Neal simultaneously committed at some point, there's absolutely no guarantee it would stay that way. So to answer your question, Jeff, I truly don't know. I'm not sure anyone could know on the 31st of January. And it's not really a question of whether Oklahoma can afford two quarterbacks; in any matter concerning NIL, it's always a matter of willingness. If some other school tries to bag O'Neal or Bentley with a fat wad of cash down the line, is Oklahoma going to be willing to fight that battle, or will they simply kiss it goodbye and lean on the other signal-caller? Time will tell.
