What has been the looming problem in Brent Venables’ Oklahoma? A struggling offense. This time last year, the Sooners had re-worked their quarterback room after losing offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby to Mississippi State. Then came another blow as Venables’ starting quarterback, Dillon Gabriel, swapped to Oregon.
Not just this. They witnessed departures of both assistant QB coach Matt Holecek and QB analyst Tanner Schafer. Jackson Arnold took over as the starting quarterback, with newcomers Michael Hawkins Jr., Casey Thompson, Brendan Zurbrugg, and Steele Wasel behind him. But they fell flat. This year, John Mateer is ready to take over. But Venables is already worried about the 2026 class.
As per On3’s 2026 Industry Ranking football Team Recruiting Rankings, Oklahoma stands at the No.19 rank with only 10 recruits locked in. That’s when they jumped into the race to land the four-star prospect and one of the top 10 quarterbacks in the 2026 recruiting class, Bowe Bentley, on June 20. The 6’2 200 QB from Celina, TX chose the Sooners over LSU and is pumped to give Venables’ squad his best as Hayes Fawcett quoted the quarterback on his IG post, “Norman! I’m home!!” Bentley also had offers from prominent programs like Georgia and Ohio State. Venables offered him in January, after a standout performance at the Navy All-American Bowl. And his final list was trimmed to Oklahoma vs LSU. That’s when LSU 5-star commit Tristen Keys stirred the pot.
Even keeping the bowl performance aside, the quarterback’s stats were just too lucrative to ignore. The Celina, Texas, product combined for 63 total touchdowns in 2024, helping lead his high school team to a 16-0 record and a state championship. And Keys would have loved to have Bentley running for the same team. So, the WR is still trying his level best to pull the quarterback into Brian Kelly’s squad. The comment section had Keys’ comment, which read, “Noooo why not come throw to 3 top 10 WRs.” The heartbreak emoji says it all. LSU Tigers sit at the No.3 rank as per the 2026 class with 10 recruits locked in.
Had Bentley boarded the LSU wagon, he would have been protected by No.1 WR in the nation, Keys, and No.1 wideout in Louisiana, Jabari Mack, who is also ranked as a Top-10 receiver in America. Now, is this comment a hint for Kelly?
Brent Venables’ Bowe Bentley move came with a cost
Here, Keys’ active initiative to bolster LSU’s roster by dragging Bentley in may be treated as a positive sign. After all, we have seen how Kelly dreamed big about the No.1 WR who has been committed to the Tigers since March. However, a piece of news might have robbed Kelly of his goodnight’s sleep. On June 13, On3 NIL posted on X, “The race for LSU 5-star WR commit Tristen Keys continues to heat up Keys is expected to ink an NIL package that will pay him between $500K to $1 million as a freshman, per @PeteNakos_.”
The program who have its watchful eyes on Bentley’s suitor is Josh Heupel’s Tennessee Volunteers. Things got more complex for LSU when the 5-star recruit was spotted dancing in full Tennessee’s orange-colored gear. Now that Keys sounded so upset about LSU losing out on Bentley might hint that the WR is deciding to stay in the Tigers and is concerned about the program’s future. On Bentley’s Oklahoma move, one more person is unhappy other than Keys.
That’s none other than another commit of the Sooners club, quarterback Jaden O’Neal. Well, the young chap could sense Brent Venables landing Bowe Bentley. He had been pledged to Venables’ squad since June 24. And a day before Oklahoma landed their new quarterback, on June 19, O’Neal confirmed his decommitment after feeling insecure. His parting note read, “It is with deep gratitude and heavy heart that I announce my decommitment from the University of Oklahoma. When I committed to OU nearly a year ago, I felt a genuine connection to the program […] But a lot has changed since last June. I understand that college football is a business, and with that comes constant change and the pressure to produce results.” Fingers crossed this move doesn’t come back to haunt the Sooners’ head coach.
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