Tag: Discussion

The official visit season meets elite camp season at this time of the year, with commitments and decommitments mixed all into it of course. Rivals national analyst Marshall Levenson looks at the mesh of those check-points with help from Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney, national recruiting analyst Greg Smith as well as OUInsider.com’s Brandon Drumm in the latest Fact or Fiction.

Gorney: FACT. There are currently three five-star quarterbacks in Julian Lewis, Bryce Underwood and Tavien St. Clair, and based solely on the Elite 11, Jones should absolutely be in that discussion as well. We don’t want to put too much stock into only one event since rankings are a marathon and not a sprint, but Jones was phenomenal during the Elite 11 pro day on Wednesday night and was solid throughout the rest of the week. While we don’t want to go overboard with five-star quarterbacks or any other position, the Florida State commit definitely did enough to at least put himself in that discussion, if not more.

Levenson: FACT. Since I watched Jones for the first time in February, he has been one of my favorite quarterbacks in this class. His stock has only grown throughout his OT7 performances and is now sky high in my mind following Elite 11. He is already inside the top 100 so seeing him again at Rivals Five-Star will give all of Rivals a front row seat to his talents. There is not one specific aspect of his game that is beyond elite, but the total package is that of one of the top passers in the country. He is one I will certainly vouch for as a top 30 prospect.

Smith: FACT. We’ve already sped past the ‘Should St. Clair be a five-star’ question after making him a five-star in our most recent rankings update. But the more everyone gets to see the Ohio State commit in person, the better case he has to be the top quarterback in the country.

He looks like a million bucks (6-4, 228) and seeing him throw the ball with power and accuracy makes it easy to stand on the table for him. St. Clair can layer the ball too, making throws with touch look routine. He’s also smooth on the run which is an aspect of his game that gets overlooked.

We have a real debate now on if the Ohio native should be the top quarterback in the country. That also puts him in the conversation for the top overall player in the country.

Levenson: FACT. As of today, I would say Julian Lewis still belongs as the top quarterback in the 2025 rankings. But there will be a massive evaluation opportunity less than a week from now in Jacksonville for the Rivals Five-Star. Bryce Underwood is certainly in the mix to take the spot at some point, but the amount we have seen St. Clair in person and the supreme ability he continues to show, he is building a strong case to overtake the group.

The Ohio State commit was among Rivals’ favorites throughout the week at the Elite 11 Finals and he will go head-to-head with Lewis once again in just four days. The NFL-ready body of St. Clair is just one piece of the puzzle giving him a great case, but the arm talent and consistency of his dominance puts him in prime position to get the nod if he out-performs the group in Jacksonville.

Drumm: FACT. Oklahoma will have its 2026 QB by the beginning of the season, but the question is who, right? Will it be Rivals250 QB Dereon Coleman, who camped at OU and showed one of the livest arms that I have seen come through OU Camp in some time. What about Rivals100 QB Jaden O’Neal? He is currently on campus and will have spent four days in Norman by the time he departs. That is twice as long as he will be at any other place, and he told me this week that he plans to announce in mid to late July or August. Obviously, that is after all of is visits.

Then here is Rivals150 QB Jonas Williams. He is ‘supposed’ to camp at OU next week, but no definitive date has been set just yet. That said, the Sooners seem to be a prime spot for Williams as well (was offered on his unofficial to OU this spring), so there are definitely options for Sooners’ OC Seth Littrell.

All that said, it does seem like Coleman and O’Neal are the ones that are closest to a decision and both have felt like Oklahoma’s to lose for a bit now. However, I am going to say that four-star Jaden O’Neal is the quarterback to watch moving into July. There seems to be a mutual affinity toward, both, the Sooners and O’Neal. If we keep O’Neal’s pre-fall camp decision in mind, it seems that Oklahoma will have their guy by the start of the season.At least that is my gut feeling as of today.

I have a Rivals Future Cast in for Coleman and O’Neal. However, at this time I feel O’Neal is where this one is trending and think it will be done by the start of the season if things stay trending the way they are right now.

Levenson: FACT. Drumm really lays out the options in a great way here, so I will simply add that all the buzz with the Sooners in recent weeks has been around Jaden O’Neal. He is making the rounds with some visits, including Michigan and Ohio State recently, as well as camping at Oklahoma just last week.

The top-100 prospect has been one of the top performers to camp in Norman this summer, so it would not be surprising to see the Sooners pushing all their chips in on him. They have other options if they choose so, such as Coleman and Williams, but I have a FutureCast in on O’Neal and I feel confident in that pick. O’Neal has said he is looking to make a commitment decision from his recent top-10 prior to the season. I expect Oklahoma to be the decision.