About a month ago, Florida State was in scramble mode, trying to find its quarterback for the 2026 class. After four-star Brady Smigiel flipped to Michigan in January, the Seminoles were left playing catch-up. They cast a wide net—offering multiple top prospects—but five-star Houston commit Keisean Henderson showed little interest, and four-star Bowe Bentley cut FSU from his list in favor of Oklahoma and LSU. The best hope seemed to lie with two names: Oklahoma commit Jaden O’Neal and four-star Landon Duckworth. Both were expected to visit in June. Fast forward to now, and Mike Norvell got his guy.

Jaden O’Neal flipped from OU to FSU, giving the #Tribe26 class the jolt it desperately needed. This wasn’t a move made overnight. FSU had eyes on O’Neal since last summer. He flashed his skills in front of Norvell and QBs coach Tony Tokarz at camp before the staff eventually chose Smigiel. Still, FSU stayed loosely in touch, and the door never fully closed—even as O’Neal stayed committed to Oklahoma for nearly a year.

With Gus Malzahn now in place as offensive coordinator, the pursuit reignited—and this time, it stuck. Malzahn’s presence made a major difference, helping to flip the longtime Sooner pledge. Brent Venables missed out, and Norvell finally secured his future QB.

On the June 22 episode of FSU Football on Warchant TV, senior recruiting analyst Michael Langston put it plainly when asked about the impact of O’Neal’s commitment. “I think it’s definitely a breath of fresh air,” Langston said. “They’re pausing like, ‘Okay, we still got to sign him, but you know, we can breathe now.’ You got your guy. This is a guy that they’ve spent a lot of time on—a lot of, you know, just relationships and just fit.”

Langston went further, breaking down how the Malzahn effect sealed the deal. “And I said that over the weekend that it was going to be like, if they connected with him with the Gus Malzahn offense, and Gus was sold, and he was sold, and everything clicked with everybody, it was going to happen. I felt pretty good about that.”

That connection changed everything—and Langston made sure fans understood just how big this is for the rest of the class. “But to get that now, it impacts your whole class because the quarterback is always the head of the class,” he explained. “I don’t care who you got on your recruit board or whoever your commitment list is—the quarterback is always the one that everyone looks to. And it benefits and builds your class. I mean, we’ve already heard Devin Carter say earlier this year, he’s like, ‘I’m following this situation. I’m monitoring it.’ He’s clearly following just who FSU is going to get at quarterback.”

O’Neal’s stats back up the hype. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound signal-caller is a California native who recently transferred to Mustang High School in Oklahoma for his senior year. In 2024, while at Narbonne High School, he threw for 3,040 yards, 28 touchdowns, and just four interceptions, completing 61 percent of his passes. That followed a 2,475-yard, 27-touchdown season in 2023 at Newport Beach.

Now, he’s the 15th commit in FSU’s 2026 class—and the sixth to join in a span of just 10 days. So, how did Florida State pull off one of the biggest flips of the 2026 cycle in such a short span?

Mike Norvell’s quarterback flip pitch

Jaden O’Neal had been locked in with Oklahoma for nearly a year. But that loyalty faded fast after a change in offensive direction. He decommitted from the Sooners on a Thursday night—and by Sunday evening, he’d committed to FSU. This marks the second straight year Gus Malzahn helped flip a top OU quarterback; last cycle, it was Kevin Sperry. Clearly, the new OC is working wonders in Tallahassee.

“Just the consistency the coaching staff has shown me since eighth-grade year,” O’Neal told Warchant’s Matt LaSerre. “Coach Mike Norvell played a huge part into that, Coach Tony [Tokarz] played a huge part in that throughout my whole recruiting process since the eighth grade. And then Coach Gus [Malzahn] as of recently, you know, seeing his ability to develop, being able to talk to him and talk some ball and being able to relate to him on that basis. That’s kind of just some of the factors that played into me choosing FSU.”

Jaden O’Neal had visited Tallahassee earlier this year for spring practice, and he walked away impressed by the scheme and leadership. “I feel like he’s kind of like a guy I can relate to,” O’Neal said of Malzahn. “I feel like he wants to throw the ball, he knows how to use the quarterback’s strengths and weaknesses.”

It’s worth noting how quickly the situation flipped. When O’Neal first committed to Oklahoma in June 2024, it was former offensive coordinator Seth Littrell who helped close the deal. But OU’s bumpy 6–7 season led to Littrell being fired after just seven games. New OC Ben Arbuckle liked O’Neal’s game but had eyes on Bowe Bentley instead. Once that shift became clear, O’Neal’s status with Oklahoma grew shaky—and that’s when Florida State pounced.

With Bentley now committed to OU and O’Neal locked in with the Seminoles, the 2026 quarterback shuffle has found its dramatic finish. Florida State filled its biggest roster need, gained major class momentum, and sent a message across the recruiting world: Mike Norvell and Gus Malzahn aren’t playing around.

As Langston summed it up: “Now they know who their guy is. You certainly get a guy that could do a lot of different things in a lot of explosive ways—just passing or running if you need it. But I think overall, it is a massive day for Mike Norvell and this entire FSU staff to really now kick some momentum in.” And that’s exactly what it feels like—QB secured, #Tribe26 on the move.