FSU's top priority at QB de-committed from Oklahoma after FSU official visit

It has been a long, slow dance, but the final domino for FSU to get its blue-chip QB for the 2026 recruiting cycle may have fallen late Friday night.

Four-star quarterback Jaden O'Neal finally announced his de-commitment from Oklahoma. O'Neal camped at FSU before committing to the Sooners. FSU had another blue-chip QB committed, but both teams changed offensive coordinators, which seems to be the catalyst for both de-commitments.

O'Neal took an unofficial visit to FSU in April and promptly scheduled an official visit, which took place earlier this week. The de-commitment soon after usually indicates he's trending to FSU. Predictions for O'Neal to flip were in place before the de-commitment, and I've been documenting each step that got us to this point.

It has been a narrow needle to thread with FSU flirting with several quarterbacks since Brady Smigiel de-committed in late January. However, for FSU to navigate those waters after a 2-10 season and potentially still get a commitment from a top 15 quarterback nationally is a testament to the work done by Tony Tokarz, Gus Malzahn, Mike Norvell, and the whole team.

Related Story: 5 Recruiting Strategies To Flip Jaden O'Neal from Oklahoma

FSU has been surging in recruiting over the past week, and an O'Neal commitment would be huge. It would move FSU from No. 22 to No. 14 in the national recruiting rankings if it happened today. It would also help attract more suitors along the offensive line, wide receiver, and tight end positions.

FSU is in a good spot with several blue-chip players at these positions, so it wouldn't surprise me to see that momentum on the recruiting trail continue for the Noles. However, as I wrote on Thursday, FSU can't afford to allow history to repeat itself. They were in a similar position with high school recruiting last year and it all fell apart once the 2024 season became a dud. The last domino needs to fall with O'Neal committing to FSU, and then it's off to the races!