Many have compared new Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer to OU legend Baker Mayfield, but most of those takes could be taken with a grain of salt. However, if Bob Stoops, who coached Mayfield himself, starts making those comparisons, then they might be for real.
During one of his regular appearances on The Ref recently, Stoops spoke highly of Mateer and even dished out the highest compliment an OU quarterback could get in being compared to Mayfield, who won the Heisman Trophy in 2017 and is still a fan-favorite. Stoops said he recently talked with Mateer while the two were together in OU's training room.
"What a great guy," Stoops said. "You could tell just, naturally confident and sure of himself. Body type very much like Baker. I've heard a lot of people say -- just watching him, visiting with him -- he is very similar to Baker in the way he handles himself.
"Anyway, I'm excited about him. The great experience he has, and the experience he has with Coach (Ben) Arbuckle. All of it matters, and having a guy like that on the field and in the building, everybody rallies around. That's a big deal."
Does it change the building when a team knows they have a special player at quarterback?
— The REF (@KREFsports) July 27, 2025
Bob Stoops says it absolutely does.
“You can tell, he’s (Mateer) just naturally confident sure of his self.” pic.twitter.com/YvieAaGRvR
Stoops compares John Mateer to Baker Mayfield
Stoops coached Mayfield for three years after adding him as a walk-on from Texas Tech in 2014. Mayfield started for Stoops in 2015 and 2016. Stoops then announced his retirement in 2017 and handed the reigns to Lincoln Riley just before Mayfield's senior season. Stoops was still around Norman, though, as Mayfield became the first walk-on to ever win a Heisman Trophy in 2017.
Mateer has been compared to Mayfield ever since he committed to the Sooners out of the Transfer Portal because of his ability to scramble and make special plays happen. More so, though, there's Mateer's toughness on the field and certain aura off of it that resembles Mayfield.
There are already Heisman Trophy aspirations for Mateer, but comparisons to Mayfield from Sooner Nation could be the biggest expectations set for Mateer. However, if Stoops sees the similarities, too, then Mateer very well could be Sooner Nation's next favorite player.
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