Why QB Bowe Bentley's Commitment Came at the Perfect Time for Oklahoma

Oklahoma couldn’t have started off its massive recruiting weekend any better.

Fresh off Bowe Bentley’s performance at the Elite 11 Finals, the 2026 quarterback picked the Sooners over LSU in a major recruiting win for offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle.

Bentley’s official announcement, paired with the decommitment of Jaden O’Neal, puts to bed the sometimes awkward dynamic that emerged following Arbuckle’s arrival after he determined that Bentley was his guy in the 2026 class.

SOONER NATION LETS GO!! https://t.co/gsqM01ceeE
— Bowe Bentley (@bowebentley) June 20, 2025

It also allows the Sooners to fully turn the page as Oklahoma hopes to close the summer on a high.

OU has 10 players verbally committed in the 2026 class. Per the 247Sports Composite Rankings, the class ranks 39th in the country, which is vastly different than On3’s Industry Team Rankings, which have the Oklahoma class slotted at 19th.

Regardless of where the Sooners stand currently, this weekend represents a major opportunity to build momentum.

The ChampU BBQ may not be the massive blowout event of previous years, but it’s the last recruiting event of the summer before the calendar moves to a recruiting dead period.

During a dead period, it is not permissible to make in-person recruiting contacts or evaluations on or off campus or to permit official or unofficial visits by recruits, per the NCAA.

The dead period will begin on June 23 and extend through the end of July.

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Having Bentley around and officially a member of the 2026 class gives OU’s coaching staff an extra recruiter on campus to strengthen the bonds between Oklahoma’s current pledges and adds another recruiter for the uncommitted prospects on campus this weekend.

That can only serve as a boost for a class that has taken longer to come together than Venables’ previous classes.

There are multiple reasons for that.

First, Oklahoma’s staff has experienced turnover.

Arbuckle’s arrival gave him a late start on recruiting the 2026 class for the Sooners after he took over for former offensive coordinator Seth Littrell.

On top of that, general manager Jim Nagy’s arrival in February added another voice to help shape the 2026 recruiting efforts, though he also was added to the Oklahoma machine late in the recruiting cycle.

The entire coaching staff is also having to deal with outside pressures that haven’t been felt in Norman since John Blake was in charge.

Following a second 6-7 finish in his tenure at Oklahoma, Brent Venables enters 2025 firmly on the hot seat.

Opposing coaching staffs use the situation to negatively recruit against OU.

The arrival of John Mateer and Arbuckle could certainly help turn around results on the field, but those effects won’t be felt until October or November if the Sooners are able to prove on the field that they have turned things around.

All those factors make the commitment of Bentley that much more important.

Quarterbacks often try to rally the recruiting class together, and the Sooners having clarity at the top with Bentley gives the 2026 class clear direction.

Bentley has no trouble embracing that role, and he immediately got to work publicly pushing for Oklahoma on Saturday.

@JaydenPetit12 , @_davian0 , @zachturner2026 , @craigddandridge , @nolimitd3__

Wanna play catch in Norman!?#OUdna🧬
— Bowe Bentley (@bowebentley) June 21, 2025

More and more decisions will come down from OU’s targets as June ends and the calendar turns to July, and having a face of the class and some positive recruiting momentum could help push Oklahoma toward the kind of turnaround on the recruiting trail that the program hopes to experience on the field this fall.