Brent Venables finally wrapped up his third season at Oklahoma. A season that could have promised so much more ended with just a 6-7 record. Surely, there were a lot of missteps throughout the season. That ranged from their quarterback issues to their leaky offensive line. Oklahoma could have fired Venables, but they didn’t. At first, it isn’t easy to fire coaches when they have buyout clauses matching the GDPs of some countries. But also because Sooners have a different strategy in their mind, which has the potential to reap a lot of benefits. With that vigor and enthusiasm, they have now started the much-anticipated rebuild.
Well, their 2025 class surely speaks volumes about how Venables is mending his fences, at least compared to 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 4 commits. But they still had 2 of the most exciting prospects of the 2026 class, those being Daniel Odon (WR). He is 4-star rated and is ranked 38th in his position nationally, and their 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.
“Oklahoma Sooners quarterback commit Jaden O’Neal reportedly visited UGA spring practice on Monday. 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.”
To put it in context, Jaden O’Neal is expected to visit the Dawgs on 16th March in order to join their spring practice. The visit is particularly concerning since Oklahoma recently offered another 4-star quarterback, Bowe Bentley, and currently are also the favorite at 55.8% to land him. This will essentially mean that Jaden O’Neal will have intense competition on his hands as Bentley is also 4-star rated and also a similar prospect to O’Neal. So, what will it mean for Oklahoma if the player ultimately decommits?
Well, the quarterback hails from California and has currently switched high schools, too, in his senior year. He was previously enrolled in Narbonne High School in Harbor City, California. Now has joined quite close to Sooners in Oklahoma’s Mustang. His stats are also quite impressive, as he had 2,475 passing yards with a 61% pass completion rate in 2023. Standing at 6 feet 3 and weighing around 200 lbs. This is the type of player Sooners would surely miss if he ultimately decommits.
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, now 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 as head coach. 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 that to his 826 rushing yards. 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.
The post Oklahoma Rumor: Brent Venables Could Lose 4-Star QB as John Mateer’s $3M Move Reportedly Tied to HC’s Fate appeared first on EssentiallySports.