When former Washington State offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle was hired to fill that role at Oklahoma, the hope was that John Mateer, the Wazzu starting quarterback, would follow him to Norman.
It took a little longer than anticipated, however, for that plan to materialize. Mateer did not immediately enter the transfer portal after Arbuckle's departure announcement, and when he did, in fact, announce his decision to enter the transfer portal, he instantly became the No. 1 player available in the portal.
As it turned out, Oklahoma wasn't the only program earnestly interested in landing the services of the former Washington State quarterback.
The Miami Hurricanes, as well as North Carolina and the Tar Heels' newly appointed coach Bill Belichick, quickly entered the recruiting battle for Mateer, and what once was considered a foregone conclusion favoring OU if and when Mateer elected to enter the portal began to look like something other than a sure thing.
Mateer visited OU the day after he entered the portal. It was believed he would announce his commitment then, but when it didn't happen, it fueled speculation that the former Washington State QB was also talking with officials and other interested parties associated with Miami and North Carolina.
NFL legends Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski reportedly reached out to Mateer on Belichick's and UNC's behalf, and former Washington State teammate Cam Ward, who transferred to Miami ahead of this season, reportedly tried to influence Mateer to go to South Florida.
All's well that ends well, as the ancient proverb suggests. This is merely the beginning of what Sooner Nation is hoping will be two of the most critical pieces in getting OU's laboring 2024 offense turned around and again firing on all cylinders.
It is highly important for both the quarterback and offensive coordinator to be on the same page. That should not be an issue next season -- as it was in 2024 at OU with the midseason dismissal of offensive coordinator Seth Littrell -- with Mateer having operated with high success within Arbuckle's system all of this past season at Washington State.
Mateer comes to Oklahoma with high expectations, mostly created by the media but supported by a strong 2024 resume.
The junior to be from Little Elm, Texas, completed 65% of his passes this past season for 3,139 yards, 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions. As a dual threat who also makes plays with his legs, Mateer added 826 more yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground. Admittedly, these numbers were not compiled against SEC-quality defenses, but they are impressive nonetheless.
And I don't have to remind Sooner fans that Jackson Arnold, a former five-star prospect, also came to OU with high expectations. What became blatantly obvious this past season was that no matter how gifted and talented the quarterback might be, without a good supporting cast around him, the chances for success are seriously compromised.
There were issues all around Arnold -- inconsistent offensive line play, a depleted and inexperienced receiving corps and the absence of a true No. 1 running back -- and in trying to do too much, it led to some poor decisions compounded by ball security issues. Arnold was also in his first season as a starting quarterback at the collegiate level.
Brent Venables and his staff are diligently working to resolve the 2024 offensive issues this offseason. Bringing in Arbuckle as the new offensive coordinator along with Mateer represents a big part of that puzzle, but even this winning combination cannot do it all alone.
Offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh believes the offensive line will be better next season with who the Sooners have returning, as well as additions from the transfer portal and a pair of elite O-line recruits in the 2025 class, including five-star prospect Michael Fasusi.
The Sooners have added several wide receivers from the transfer portal who will be joined by returning wide receivers Deion Burks and Jayden Gibson, both of whom were injured most of this season, an emerging Drake Stoops-type returning receiver in Jacob Jordan and a pair of incoming four-star recruits in Elijah Thomas and Emmanuel Choice.
As for the running back situation, Oklahoma has solid returning depth at the position, as Jovantae Barnes, Gavin Sawchuk, Taylor Tatum and Xavier Robinson are all back in 2025. But the Sooners need someone from that group to step up with greater productivity and consistency. Only one OU running back exceeded 300 yards rushing last season, and that one (Barnes) rushed for 598 yards in nine games.
The bottom line is Mateer may be the answer for Oklahoma at quarterback, at least for the next one to two years, but he and he alone is not the answer to all the issues that contributed to the dramatic fall off in offensive performance during the 2024 season.
Unless OU is able to effect significant improvement in the other component parts of the Sooners' offensive machinery, there may not be a quarterback in college football who can deliver what Oklahoma fans are expecting -- and Venables' future at OU may depend on -- from the new OC and Mateer.