By Tony Thomas
Texas is a recruiting hotbed for talented high school football players for college football programs from coast to coast. Young men born and raised in the Lone Star State dream of playing under the lights on Friday nights and taking their game to the next level.
One of those talented Texans is quarterback Bowe Bentley.
The highly recruited four-star quarterback from Celina, Texas, has narrowed his college choices to two schools in the SEC: LSU and Oklahoma.
With Bentley under center last season, the Celina Bobcats (16-0) won the Texas Division-I 4A state championship, their ninth in school history. Bentley accounted for more than 4,200 yards and 65 touchdowns.
Against Kilgore in the state championship game, Bentley stood out by throwing five touchdown passes in a decisive 55-21 victory and was the game’s offensive MVP.
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He is one of only three quarterbacks to accomplish that feat in the 4A classification championship game. Bentley earned All-State honors as the 4A Offensive Player of the Year.
LSU has not signed a top quarterback out of high school since the 2024 recruiting cycle when the Tigers signed four-star signal-caller Colin Hurley. However, Hurley has been stuck behind Jayden Daniels and Garrett Nussmeier.
Oklahoma will pencil in transfer quarterback John Mateer as the starter this season after swinging and missing on quarterbacks Michael Hawkins Jr. and Jackson Arnold (a transfer to Auburn).
According to 247Sports Crystal Ball, Bentley is predicted to commit to LSU, which simply has a better track record of developing quarterbacks in the Brian Kelly era. Daniels won the Heisman Trophy in 2023 and Nussmeier was a 4,000-yard passer last season.
As Bentley prepares for his senior season, he has a head start on cementing his status as one of the best quarterbacks in Texas high school football.
