Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell reacts before the game against the Clemson Tigers at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Melina Myers-Imagn Images

Florida State lands 'pure thrower' in 2026 QB

By Andrew Kulha | Last updated Jun 24, 2025 12:04 AM ET

Florida State and head coach Mike Norvell have to feel great about how things worked out for them at the quarterback position on the 2026 recruiting trail.

The Seminoles lost the commitment of four-star quarterback Brady Smigiel in January. As things usually work in recruiting, though, another school's misfortune ended up working out to their advantage.

Jaden O'Neal, a 4-star quarterback from Mustang, Oklahoma, looked to be a lock for the Sooners. He committed to Brent Venables and Oklahoma over a year ago and even moved from California to Oklahoma (30 minutes from Norman) to play his senior year of high school ball.

The problem for Oklahoma, at least, is that the Sooners kept pursuing other 2026 quarterbacks. That led to O'Neal ultimately deciding to open things back up, and an official visit he recently took to Tallahassee to see Norvell and the Seminoles paid off for FSU when the four-star QB once again hit the market.

He's now committed to Florida State's 2026 class, which is a decision he made over the weekend, not long after decommitting from Oklahoma.

BREAKING: Four-Star QB Jaden O’Neal has Committed to Florida State, he tells me for @on3recruits

The 6’3 215 QB from Long Beach, CA decommitted from Oklahoma on Thursday

“HOME!”https://t.co/q4piYd9Isw pic.twitter.com/nSXTjBZyrf
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) June 22, 2025

O'Neal was one of the top quarterbacks in the state of California before transferring to Mustang. He threw for 2,475 yards and 27 touchdowns as a sophomore at Newport Harbor High School (Newport Beach, California) in 2023. He transferred to Narbonne High School (Harbor City, California) for 2024 and put up big numbers again despite missing the first seven games of the season due to transfer rules.

In eight games, he threw for 1,798 yards and 16 touchdowns. He also led Narbonne to a Los Angeles City Section Open Division championship.

"O’Neal is of of the better pure throwers in this year’s class. We’ve been tracking him since middle school and he has always had a big arm and can get the ball down the field," Greg Biggins of 247Sports wrote in a scouting report of the 2026 quarterback.

According to the 247Sports Composite, O'Neal is the No. 14 quarterback in the 2026 class. With him aboard, the Seminoles now have 15 commitments for 2026.

Andrew Kulha

Andrew Kulha is probably the only sports writer you know who also doubles as a mortician. Spooky! @KulhaSports

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