In an X post on Sunday, 2026, four-star quarterback Jaden O'Neal asked, "Will the crown be passed down?" In a picture he took with Arizona legend Ortege Jenkins. Jenkins played for Arizona from 1997 through 2000 and tied 10th in program history with Keith Smith with 42 touchdown passes.
O'Neal, who is committed to Oklahoma, took his official visit to Arizona over the weekend. O'Neal is the 205th overall prospect, 14th QB and top player in Oklahoma out of Mustang in the 2024 class. Oklahoma is also recruiting 2026 QB Bowe Bentley, which could influence O'Neal's commitment.
O'Neal is also scheduled to take official visits to Florida State the weekend of June 15 and he will begin his visit at Oklahoma on June 20, per On3. Prior to matriculating at Mustang, O'Neal was at three different high schools in California.
O'Neal completed 71.0 percent of his passes for 1,798 yards, 16 touchdowns and one interception in 2024 for Narbonne in Harbor City, California. As a sophomore at Newport Harbor in 2023, O'Neal completed 60.9 percent of his pass attempts for 2,475 yards, 27 TDs and 10 interceptions.
Bear Down!!!!!
— Ortege Jenkins (@OrtegeJenkins16) June 2, 2025
Jenkins is the longtime trainer for O'Neal and is listed as his business contact via his X account. Rivals.com posted on Wednesday that O'Neal will take part in their five-star camp on June 23 and 24 in Indianapolis. At the beginning of his official visit to Arizona, O'Neal posted "I'm here" and tagged Jenkins.
O'Neal is higher ranked than any of the current commits in the 2026 Arizona class. If he signs with Arizona, O'Neal would presumably be able to develop for a year as the backup to Noah Fifita, whose final year of eligibility is 2026. Arizona does not currently have a QB committed to its 2026 class.
Four-star 2026 prospect Oscar Rios from Downey, California, is the only other QB scheduled to take an official visit to Arizona in June. Rios will begin his official visit to Arizona the weekend of June 13. Signing a QB in the 2026 class is critical for Arizona to pass the crown down from Fifita.