John Mateer does not get enough credit for what he overcame to lead Oklahoma to a 10-win season in 2025 and a spot in the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2019.
The returning senior starting quarterback for the Sooners actually drew more criticism for underperforming expectations and for several of the flaws in his game than credit for the adversity he battled through after breaking a bone in the thumb on his throwing hand four games into the season.
Unfortunately, Mateer bore more than his share of the brunt over Oklahoma's unusually stagnant and underperforming offense from last season. It was the complete opposite of the Sooner teams from 2016 to 2021 that overpowered opponents on offense but weren't able to stop anybody on the defensive side.
John Mateer took too much blame for Sooners offensive breakdowns
The quarterback is always going to draw some of the blame when an offense fails to produce, but in Oklahoma's case last season, Mateer's injury was just one part of a problem that compounded on itself. To begin with, the offensive line was talented but young and inexperienced with three freshmen starters, which probably was a prime contributor to the Sooners' inability to run the ball effectively and with some consistency.
Adding to the Sooners' offensive line issues a year ago was the absence of both talent and depth at the tight end position, which has been a lingering problem the past couple of seasons. Jaran Kanak, a converted linebacker, stepped up and gave the OU offense a much-needed boost in the passing game, but run-blocking was not a skillset that last season's group of tight ends possessed.
The OU offense too often found itself in third-and-long situations, which puts more pressure on the quarterback and the passing game, and with Mateer's hand injury, he wasn't able to play with the same trust and confidence that he would have if he were not battling through the injury and had a full complement of offensive weapons.
No one has ever questioned John Mateer's talent or his leadership ability, but when he struggled last season, it was largely because of poor decision-making in reading the tricky, multi-look SEC defenses or trying to do too much with the ball in his hands. Also, his passing accuracy was not the best, particularly after the injury. Some felt he threw too often with a sidearm motion instead of a more traditional over-the-top motion.
With the parts around him not operating at optimum efficiency, it is easy to understand how Mateer might have felt he needed to take it upon himself to jump-start the offense and make a big play.
The good news for Oklahoma football fans is that Mateer, who is back home in the center of the country and closer to his Dallas-area roots, elected to return for his senior season and he has been working hard all offseason to get stronger and improve some of the fundamental flaws in his game. Plus, he will return healthy, which may be the biggest factor of all.
While the improvements to Mateer's game should be enough to make Oklahoma an SEC title and playoff contender again in 2026, the real reason the Sooners are projected to be even better in the coming season -- despite a brutally difficult schedule to start out -- is because the offensive line is expected to be one of OU's best in recent seasons, which should also help improve the running game.
The Sooners also added a couple of talented and experienced wide receivers to join Isaiah Sategna III in the passing game, along with better tight-end play and a couple of sophomore receivers poised to have breakout seasons. All of it adds up to more improved quarterback play and greater and more balanced distribution of offensive options surrounding Mateer.
Mateer is his harshest critic, and he knows he has to play better in the coming season.
"I feel great," he said this spring. "Being a year older, I learned a lot. I look back at last year, and I'm like, 'I'm way better than I was.'"
The Sooners finished the season a year ago as the country's 92nd team in total offense and 113th in rushing. Most of the OU offense was directed around the passing game, which wasn't all that productive either, averaging just 235.8 passing yards per game and with only one reliable wide receiver to speak of.
If it weren't for Oklahoma's No. 6-ranked defense, the Sooners' 2025 season would have been much less successful than it was.
Mateer transferred to Oklahoma from Washington State and returned home to the plains with high expectations, having thrown for 3,139 yards and 29 touchdowns in his sophomore season in 2024 in leading the Cougars to the 17th best total offense and sixth best scoring offense in the country and having played for a couple of seasons in Ben Arbuckle's offensive system while the OU offensive coordinator was at Washington State.
His first four games last season, Mateer averaged over 300 yards passing and over 90 yards rushing per game. After the thumb injury, however, he was never as effective either running or throwing the football. He exceeded 200 yards passing in just four of his final eight games and averaged just under 33 yards rushing. Even more troubling was his touchdown-to-interception ratio (8 to 8).
Read more: John Mateer keeps giving Oklahoma fans every reason to believe in 2026
All the pieces are there on offense ahead of the 2026 season, and the Sooners have addressed needs and made improvements to all the working parts. On paper, Team 132 of Oklahoma football should be the best and most balanced of the Brent Venables era. But the proof will be in how they perform on the field once the season kicks off.
The one caution in all of this is that the Sooners could have a better overall team in 2026 but not produce a better record because of the inherent strength of the teams in the SEC.
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