Each visit is important for 2026 4-star QB Jaden O’Neal as he closes in on a commitment
Long Beach (Calif.) Narbonne four-star quarterback Jaden O’Neal is in the middle of a busy summer visit schedule. He made his first trip to Florida State from June 7-9 and will be at Miami from June 10-12 before starting his trip to Oklahoma on June 13.
O’Neal’s college destination will be known in the coming weeks. That is because he is “definitely” committing in late July or early August.
“I want to get to multiple campuses and get a real feel for the schools,” O’Neal told On3. “That can be speaking with the coaches or visiting the facilities. I want to understand if I can see myself at a school. It will be about understanding what that feeling is and not letting that feeling go.”
Michigan, Ohio State and Auburn are likely to host O’Neal on campus next week and he is planning to visit Oregon the last week of July.
Florida State is a ‘top five’ school for O’Neal following his visit
The Seminoles made a very positive impression on O’Neal during his time in Tallahassee. The No. 11 player in California spent time with multiple coaches at Florida State including head coach Mike Norvell and quarterbacks coach Tony Tokarz.
“Florida State definitely boosted up in my recruitment,” said O’Neal, the No. 78 overall prospect and No. 6 quarterback in the 2026 On3 Industry Ranking. “… How they treated me, the coaches and the support staff were impressive. They are now in my top five, for sure.”
The tradition at Florida State is a key reason for O’Neal’s interest in the ACC school. He also likes the atmosphere around the program, as well as the Seminoles’ coaches, campus and academic offerings.
O’Neal enjoyed being around Norvell in a camp setting, as he complemented his energy levels. Tokarz’s hands-on coaching also stood out to the four-star because he felt that it made his game “better.”
“Coach Norvell made a super great impression on me,” O’Neal said. “He’s very energetic and very loud, which I like. He brings a lot of emotion to the game and the right emotions. I had a meeting with him, where we broke down his philosophy of the game and how he approaches it, whether it be mentally or physically. He’s very big on quotes and one of his quotes that stuck with me was, ‘Eyes up and keep climbing,’ because his philosophy is that he wants to keep climbing to the pinnacle of college football.”
“With coach Tony, his ability to communicate and articulate the game was great,” he added about Tokarz. “He sounded like an NFL veteran. The support staff that they have around Florida State is very strong.”
O’Neal is ready to get back to Miami and Oklahoma
Miami is another school of interest to the four-star and he is excited to experience more of the Hurricanes’ culture and atmosphere on his visit. He also hopes to learn if he can envision himself playing in Coral Gables.
Like Florida State, the Sooners have become a program to watch in O’Neal’s recruitment. On his upcoming visit to Norman, he is excited to compete in front of Oklahoma’s coaches.
“I relate to a majority of the coaches,” O’Neal said. “Oklahoma’s assistant quarterbacks coach is from California. Coach Seth Littrell is a real authentic guy and he’s from Texas, so he’s familiar with the region. Any question I have for him, he has an answer and he’s very real and honest about it. He’s very transparent as well.
“When I was able to sit down and have a meeting with coach Brent Venables, it was very good. Everything about Oklahoma has been very positive and they have a strong feeling about me.”
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