Former Oklahoma Quarterback Pledges with Division II Program in Ohio

A former Oklahoma quarterback is headed down to the Division II level.

Brendan Zurbrugg, who spent the 2024 season in Norman, has transferred to Walsh University. Zurbrugg is already listed on the school’s athletic website.

Zurbrugg was a consensus 3-star prospect out of high school and chose OU over offers from Syracuse, Northwestern, Ball State, Bowling Green and others.

As a true freshman in 2024, Zurbrugg was buried on the depth chart behind Jackson Arnold and Michael Hawkins Jr. The quarterback didn’t appear on any offensive snaps that year and transferred to Utah after the season.

Zurbrugg didn’t see the field in 2025 either. Transfer quarterback Devon Dampier dominated the reps at quarterback, and Zurbrugg never made an appearance for the Utes.

He is one of two quarterbacks that signed with OU from the Class of 2024, along with Michael Hawkins Jr. Hawkins transferred from Oklahoma one year after Zurbrugg and signed with West Virginia in January.

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Zurbrugg is a native of Alliance, OH, located in east Ohio. His new school, Walsh University, is located in the same county as Alliance (Stark County).

Walsh went 6-5 in 2025 and posted a 4-5 conference record. The Cavaliers compete in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference at the Division II level.

Zurbrugg and Hawkins are two of several former OU quarterbacks that entered the transfer portal after the 2025 season.

Jackson Arnold, who started the majority of the 2024 season, signed with UNLV after spending only one season at Auburn. Nick Evers, once a depth piece in OU’s quarterback room, transferred to Missouri following two years at UConn and one year at Wisconsin.

John Mateer will be Oklahoma’s starting quarterback to begin 2026. Mateer, who transferred to OU from Washington State ahead of the 2025 season, completed 62.2 percent of his passes for 2,882 yards, 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions during his first campaign in Norman. He led OU to a 10-3 record and the program’s first College Football Playoff appearance since 2019.

True freshman Bowe Bentley will likely be the Sooners’ second-string quarterback. A native of Celina, TX, Bentley comes to OU as a consensus 4-star prospect. Rivals ranked Bentley as the No. 70 overall prospect in the Class of 2026, and he chose Oklahoma over offers from Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Ohio State and others.

Behind them will be Whitt Newbauer and Jett Niu, both of whom saw minimal playing time in 2025. Newbauer appeared in three games for OU last year after transferring from Mercer, while Niu’s lone appearance came in the Sooners’ lopsided win over Kent State.

Oklahoma will begin its 2026 season against UTEP on Sept. 5.