4 reasons a swole John Mateer is a good thing for the Sooners

Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer’s muscles have been the talk of the offseason. Maybe even a little too much, actually. 

A picture of Mateer went viral while he was at the Manning Passing Academy when the college football world first noticed the Sooners’ QB1 was all of a sudden yoked in a sleeveless shirt with Peyton Manning watching. More pictures later posted by Mateer on his Instagram and OU sharing a video of him front-squatting a house (not literally) only added more fuel to the obsession. He even had other college players and former teammates commenting on his gains. 

Mateer, listed at 6-foot-1 and 224 pounds, then made The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman’s annual list of freaks in college football. Mateer’s muscles even influenced ESPN to publish an article about if quarterbacks should be jacked. Even local sports talk radio has spent entire segments discussing the benefits of Mateer’s physical transformation. 

Read more: John Mateer clearly transformed himself into a college football freak

Then all that got me thinking, is a swole quarterback good for the Sooners? The obvious answer seems to be yes. It definitely shouldn’t hurt anything, right? So if a swole John Mateer is a good thing, then why? I came up with four reasons. 

Why a jacked John Mateer helps Oklahoma

Improved strength 

I never said these reasons would be groundbreaking. If there are results we can actually see from Mateer’s time in the weight room, then obviously he’s stronger than he’s ever been. 

Between Isaiah Sategna returning and the Sooners bringing in transfers Trell Harris and Parker Livingstone, Mateer has more deep threats than ever before. Imagine playing EA Sports’ College Football 26 video game. Mateer’s “throw power” trait got a major upgrade to chunk bombs to those speedy weapons deep. 

Feldman also reported that Mateer front-squatted a staggering 510 pounds. Those are some powerful legs attached to a dual-threat QB willing to try to run over an SEC linebacker if that’s who’s between him and the end zone. 

Better durability 

Speaking of trying to run over SEC linebackers with 30 pounds on him, Mateer needs all the extra padding he can get. 

The two common answers to keep Mateer healthy seem to be for him to run less or to not put his body on the line when he’s toting the rock. Neither of those are going to happen. 

The Sooners need Mateer as a runner like the air they breathe, especially if the running game itself didn’t improve tremendously compared to last season. We saw last year how much better Ben Arbuckle’s offense is when he’s able to freely run Mateer (just watch the Michigan tape). 

Mateer running the ball is also when OU fans get Baker Mayfield flashbacks. Mayfield, even in the NFL, will lower his shoulder to get through a defender. And so will Mateer. Whether it’s a risk or not, that’s what makes those guys more dynamic than others and why you want them leading your offense.

Bigger muscles wouldn’t have kept Mateer from breaking his thumb last season and influencing his decline (at least I don’t think, I’m not a doctor), but anything that prevents Mateer from possibly being handicapped in 2026 is a benefit for the Sooners. Mateer also explained to ESPN, in detail, how he operates during his workouts and what popular lifts he excludes to assure he still maintains his flexibility and remains durable, even while getting bigger. 

Respect from teammates 

When OU posted the video of Mateer squatting a truck, he was surrounded by screaming teammates celebrating the feat. A quarterback is always center-of-attention on the field, but a QB getting the spotlight in the weight room is rare. 

Teammates respect that grind in the weight room, and maybe no one more than the big guys on the offensive line protecting Mateer. 

More confidence 

Look good, play good, right? Mateer is obviously feeling himself if he’s posting shirtless pictures on Instagram. And if there’s anyone that needs to be confident in themself, it’s a quarterback looking to bounce back from a disappointing season. 

In that ESPN article, Cooper Manning (the dad of another SEC quarterback) joked how quickly Mateer ripped the sleeves off his shirt. He also noted confidence in particular as a benefit to a jacked QB. 

“Looking good at the beach is important," Manning said. 

A confident Mateer is only a good thing. 

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