State championship-winning 2026 QB commits to Oklahoma

Buck Ringgold

State championship-winning 2026 QB commits to Oklahoma image

Naomi Skinner/Wichita Falls Times Record News/USA TODAY NETWORK

One of the top quarterbacks in the state of Texas has decided on his future college.

Bowe Bentley, an incoming senior at Celina (Texas), announced on Friday that he has committed to play at Oklahoma. He chose the Sooners over his other finalist, LSU.

Bentley (6-foot-2, 200 pounds) summed up his announcement with two words to On3.com.

“Great day,” he said.

The four-star quarterback prospect was a huge target for new OU offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle. In addition, Bentley leaned toward the Sooners from talking to their new starting quarterback this season, John Mateer - who played in Arbuckle’s offensive system last season when both were at Washington State - as well as Cam Ward, the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft who played for the Cougars before transferring to Miami.

“Talking to Cam Ward and hearing his thoughts, I felt like a priority to Oklahoma,” Bentley told On3.com. “Not just the offensive staff. Everyone that works there.”

Bentley is considered the No. 5 ranked quarterback in the nation by On3. Before he fully concentrates on Oklahoma, Bentley wants to lead his high school team to a repeat championship.

Last season, Bentley helped lead Celina to the UIL 4A Division I state title, passing for 3,330 yards and 47 TDs. He added 933 yards rushing along with finding the end zone 16 times.

In the 4A DI title game, a 55-21 win against Kilgore, Bentley was named the game’s most outstanding player on offense after passing for 265 yards and five TDs on 9-of-14 passing.

Bentley’s commit came hours after another OU quarterback commit, Jaden O’Neal, de-committed from the Sooners. O’Neal, a four-star originally from Long Beach, Calif., had been committed to Oklahoma for a year, and during the offseason, transferred to Mustang, Okla., an Oklahoma City suburb not far from OU's campus in Norman. 

With Bentley’s commitment, he becomes the 10th player in the Class of 2026 to commit to the Sooners, who are now ranked No. 19 in the latest On3 rankings.

But another Class of ’26 member wasn’t happy with Bentley’s decision to pick OU over LSU. Tristen Keys, a five-star LSU wide receiver commit, had this to say to recruiting analyst Hayes Fawcett.

“Noooo why not come throw to 3 Top 10 WRs,” Keys said to Fawcett.

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Buck Ringgold

Buck Ringgold has been covering high school sports for more than 25 years. He has a BA in Journalism from the University of Arkansas and is a die-hard Texas Rangers fan.