The Oklahoma Sooners paid the price to get the best quarterback they could for 2025.
New OU quarterback John Mateer, who transferred from Washington State, has an NIL deal worth about $3 million, according to Pete Nakos of On3. Considering this is still a new era of NIL in college football, Mateer would be the highest-paid student-athlete ever at OU.
According to George Stoia of SoonerScoop, which is part of On3, Mateer's deal is over two years, assuming he stays until his senior season in 2026.
OU's NIL collective, 1Oklahoma, handles the Sooners' NIL deals, not the university, but that could change soon.
Based on On3's current NIL valuations, Mateer's NIL valuation is $2.7 million, which is ranked 16th among all college athletes. That's No. 12 among quarterbacks. Five of the QBs ahead of Mateer are also from the SEC, while Texas' Arch Manning is at the top of the list above all athletes with an NIL valuation of $6.5 million.
According to On3's website, "the On3 NIL Valuation is the leading index in the industry that determines the projected annual value (PAV) of college and high school athletes by combining roster value and NIL value."
Mateer committed to the Sooners out of the transfer portal this offseason, ultimately following his offensive coordinator, Ben Arbuckle, who also left Washington State for Norman. Mateer was rated as the No. 1 player available in the transfer portal when he committed.
Last season as a sophomore, Mateer completed 64.9% of his passes for 3,139 yards and 29 TDs compared to seven interceptions. His 29 passing TDs ranked ninth in FBS last season while his passing yards total was 16th.
Mateer is also dangerous with his legs, rushing for 826 yards and 15 scores. His 44 total TDs was the most by any player in the country last season.