O'Neill's recruitment has moved rapidly, with the Aggies offering the Marblehead, Mass., native on May 14. He was on campus three days later, and returned for an official visit the weekend of June 9. He was on campus the same time as former Washington commit E.J. Caminong and Elite 11 finalist Trever Jackson, but offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino preferred the tall, rifle-armed prospect.

The Aggies beat out the likes of Penn State, Virginia, Boston College and Michigan State to land the 6-foot-5 quarterback.

O'Neill will transfer to the Hun School in Princeton, N.J., this season, which should provide a step up in competition. As it is, his numbers for 2022 were impressive: he completed more than 72% of his passes for more than 2,300 yards and 28 touchdowns.

O'Neill is the seventh commit for the 2024 class and the fifth from out of state as A&M continues to recruit nationally. He's also the fourth offensive player, along with Maddox, WR Debron Gatling and OL Ashton Funk.

O'Neill has what they call in the scouting business a "plus-plus" arm. He can make all the throws and makes them easily. I've been comparing him to Ryan Mallett due to Petrino's interest and similar size, but I also see a little bit of Tom Brady in him.

Here's why I make the two comparisons: first, Mallett had an absolute rocket for an arm. Again, there wasn't a throw he couldn't make. Mallett is 6-foot-6; O'Neill is 6-foot-5. Both are primarily, if not exclusively, pocket passers. Their size gives them the ability to see over the line and down the field.

Even though Brady is also tall at 6-foot-4, that's not what caught my eye when it came to O'Neill. It's the similarity in how both guys slide around in the pocket to buy time. Nobody anticipated a pass rush better than Brady did and, while O'Neill isn't that league (who is?) he knows how to move around and give himself a few more seconds to find a receiver down the field.

O'Neill's got a quick release and his arm slot looks to be pretty consistent. He's got good touch and knows when to loft the ball to give his receiver a shot to make a play. His footwork needs to be more consistent, but he's not lead-footed like a lot of taller quarterbacks can be.

The biggest question for O'Neill is how long it will take for him to adjust to the college game. He's a smart kid (4.0 GPA), but Milton High School in Marblehead isn't exactly playing the Buffalo Bills on its schedule. The Hun School will be a good boost in competition for him, but he's still got another level to go in order to be ready for the SEC. All the same, the arm can play right now and he's got the skillset to succeed.