The Oklahoma Sooners have another quarterback contending for a Heisman Trophy.
New OU quarterback John Mateer was a dark horse Heisman contender during the preseason, but after just one week of the 2025 college football season, Mateer is near the front of the pack after his debut in Norman on Saturday. It seems he could continue the Sooners' trend of transforming transfers into Heisman winners with two accomplishing the feat just since 2017 and another runner-up.
John Mateer's Heisman Trophy odds jump after Week 1
Mateer took one of the biggest leaps of any player in the country Week 1 to emerge as the No. 2 Heisman contender behind only LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier according to most sportsbooks. Saturday Down South on Sunday morning listed Mateer’s average Heisman odds at +1223, which was behind fellow SEC QBs Nussmeier, South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers and Georgia's Gunner Stockton.
Before the season started, Mateer’s Heisman odds on BetMGM had held steady at +2500. After Week 1, though, those same odds skyrocketed to +1300 as of Sunday night.
ESPN also listed Mateer as the No. 1 player on its updated "Heisman five."
Albeit against an FCS opponent in Illinois State, Mateer dazzled in the Sooners’ season-opening 35-3 victory. He broke Baker Mayfield’s record for most passing yards in an OU debut with 392 while completing an impressive 81.1% of his passes for a career-high 30 completions. That passing total also led all SEC quarterbacks in Week 1 and seventh in the country.
Mateer scored four times in the debut with three passing TDs and used his legs to reach the end zone for his first time as a Sooner. Mateer tallied 416 total yards.
Pylon. Paydirt. 💰@John_Mateer4 pic.twitter.com/UB5SLO73if
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) August 30, 2025
Contenders like Texas QB Arch Manning plummeted in the Heisman race after tough Week 1 challenges like Ohio State. However, the Sooners host No. 14 Michigan on Saturday night, so if Mateer is spectacular again in primetime, the Heisman favorite will once again have an OU logo on his helmet.
Betting odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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