Between 2000 and 2019, during the head-coaching reigns of Bob Stoops and Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma produced four Heisman Trophy winners, three Heisman runners-up and 10 overall finalists, more than any other school.
All four Oklahoma Heisman winners during that span, along with two of the runners-up in the Heisman voting, were quarterbacks. Since Jalen Hurts' runner-up finish in 2019, however, the Sooners haven't had as much as a finalist, or even a player receiving votes, in the Heisman race.
Oklahoma's John Mateer, who returns as the Sooners' starting quarterback this season, is far down most of the 2026 preseason Heisman watch lists and who the Las Vegas oddsmakers project as the favorites to win college football's most coveted individual prize.
ESPN's Jordan Rodgers has John Mateer as Heisman favorite after forgotten start to season
ESPN college football analyst Jordan Rodgers, however, believes Mateer is being seriously overlooked in this season's Heisman competition. Last week on ESPN's "First Take" program, Rodgers revealed his top five choices to win this year's Heisman, and Mateer was No. 5 on the list.
"He's gonna be 100% healthy," Rodgers said. "When he is, he's one of the more dynamic dual-threat quarterbacks in the country... John Mateer's gonna put up massive numbers."
Rodgers top-five Heisman favorites are Ole Miss' Trinidad Chambliss and Arch Manning of Texas as the top two, followed by Josh Hoover of Indiana, Julian Sayin of Ohio State and Mateer.
It's still a wait-and-see game regarding John Mateer's ability to have a true bounceback season
There's still plenty of skepticism around Mateer's ability to live up to the high expectations he brought with him from Washington State, where he led the Cougars to the 17th-best total offense and sixth-best scoring offense in the country in 2024. There is also the reality that the competition level in the SEC is far greater than what he faced in the final season of the Pac-12.
Mateer started off the 2025 season averaging 303.7 passing yards with six total touchdowns and three interceptions through the first four games. He also averaged nearly 50 rushing yards per game. After fracturing the thumb on his throwing hand against Auburn in Game 4 of the season, those numbers fell off precipitously.
Over his final eight games of the season, Mateer averaged 100 fewer passing yards per contest and just eight TD passes. Eight of his 11 interceptions for the season came while he was battling an injured hand. His rushing numbers also declined over the last two-thirds of the season.
Some fans may have forgotten that through the month of September last season, ESPN, Vegas and many others had Mateer as the frontrunner to win the 2025 Heisman Trophy.
The concerns around Mateer aren't just about offensive numbers, however. To be a viable Heisman contender, he needs to improve his passing accuracy (his career completion percentage is just 63.9) and make better decisions with the ball, especially in the passing game.
Read more: 5 John Mateer stats that must improve for Oklahoma to be better in 2026
Aside from being healthy again to start the 2026 season, Mateer will be benefited by offseason improvements the Sooners have made on the offense. Oklahoma has substantially upgraded the talent level in the wide receiver group and at tight end, and has gotten older and more experienced on the offensive line.
The improvement at tight end and on the O-line should boost the rushing attack. With a more balanced offense and better and more offensive weapons around him, Mateer's performance and danger as a dual threat should rise along with it.
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