John Mateer finally addresses massive concern ahead of SEC debut

There's one thing quarterback John Mateer and offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle have never done before that will soon become routine: faced an SEC opponent.

This offseason, Arbuckle and Mateer left Washington State for Oklahoma almost as a package deal to revitalize the Sooners' dreadful 2024 offense. The duo found frequent success with the Cougars, but it was as part of a two-team Pac-12 and against a flimsy schedule. Now, the biggest question mark heading into 2025 is if the pair can accomplish the same thing with one of the most difficult schedules in the country.

Mateer addresses switch from Pac-12 to SEC

Last year, Mateer led the FBS with 44 total touchdowns as a dual-threat weapon in his first season as a starter in Arbuckle's system. Washington State had the 12th-best scoring offense in the country while averaging 36.75 points a game. Mateer was in the top 12 in the country in both passing yards and passing touchdowns. He was tied for fourth in the nation with 29 passing TDs.

But, the Cougars went up against one ranked team during the regular season as they went 8-4. Based on ESPN's latest FPI, the Sooners' 2025 schedule will include nine top-25 teams. Every single SEC opponent on OU's slate was included in ESPN's FPI top 25.

Before betting the house on OU's turnaround, the biggest hesitation has been if Arbuckle and Mateer's success can carry over with an SEC schedule, plus a nonconference matchup with Michigan in primetime Week 2.

This week, while at the Manning Passing Academy, Locked On SEC's Chris Gordy asked Mateer about the elephant in the room.

"It'll be a learning curve. It will," Mateer said. "I'll embrace that and it's gonna be fun. A challenge, and that's what football's supposed to be -- a challenge. There will be learning curves for all of us, but there's a lot of people with a lot of experience in the building so we can avoid the really hard learning curves and we'll get it in quick. As long as I'm disciplined to my reads and to the play call and to watching film, I'll be good."

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