Florida State QB pledge breaks down decision to join Seminoles

Originally posted on Florida State Seminoles on SI
By Jackson Bakich | Last updated Jun 30, 2025 5:03 PM ET

Class of 2026 four-star quarterback commitment to Florida State, Jaden O'Neal, spoke to Rivals recently to discuss the details surrounding his pledge to the Seminoles.

Mike Norvell and the FSU coaching staff have been on a tear recently as #Tribe26 has skyrocketed to the No. 11 class in the country despite being in the 20s not too long ago.

O'Neal disclosed some of the positives about his FSU recruitment, sharing that he and the coaching staff maintained an open dialogue throughout the process.

.@adamgorney checks in with four-star Florida State (@Osceola_Rivals) commit Jaden O'Neal at @RivalsCamp FIVE-STAR pic.twitter.com/JqOAkWL943
— Rivals (@Rivals) June 23, 2025

"The visit, of course, but what kind of struck me was how they treated me during the unofficial, I feel like that's what kind of started to turn my mind and have a lot of interest for Florida state," said O'Neal.

He also mentioned during the interview, "It started at a young age, since eighth grade, you know, just kind of building that communication and being able to keep that open base, transparency, and [the] authentic behavior was definitely, you know, something special. So that was just a momentum shift from eighth grade to now."

Moreover, O'Neal mentioned that the coaching staff was also transparent in its approach to the "business" side of things.

"I understand that at the end of the day, like, football is a business," said the FSU commit. "We're in a game of constant change and a constant flow of different things. So, just kind of knowing that's just how they went about it. And I just had to make sure I took care of my family and I."

Moreover, O'Neal stated that the system Coach Malzahn employs fits his game and the system he currently runs in high school.

"Just the fit. I saw myself being an offense. I felt like Coach Gus, the offense that he runs, a vertical option, which is a lot of what I run now in high school. So, just having those similarities and being able to contrast that I'm able to run a vertical option in high school and then kind of transition to college."

Also, O'Neal said the commitment was a "weight lifted off his shoulders" after a long process, dating back to eighth grade.

Jaden O'Neal measures out at 6'2", 214 pounds. Coming from Mustang, Oklahoma, O'Neal is ranked No. 237 nationally, No. 16 at the QB position, and No. 2 in the state, per On3.