Oklahoma's 12-personnel revival could unlock the most from John Mateer

Former Oklahoma offensive lineman turned radio voice and podcast host Gabe Ikard gave some insight that will obviously give OU fans more hope for the Sooners' run game heading into 2026, but should also quietly improve the passing game and instill even more belief that quarterback John Mateer will be in his best form.

Ikard told co-host Teddy Lehman during their Oklahoma Breakdown podcast that he's been liking what he's seeing from the Sooners in 12-personnel packages during fall camp practices. He especially credited OU's three new transfer tight ends -- Hayden Hansen (Florida), Rocky Beers (Colorado State) and Jack Van Dorselaer (Tennessee) -- for making these improvements possible.

"I think I feel a lot better about 12-personnel now than I did heading into camp," Ikard said. "I feel like the tight ends have started to carve out their roles and the staff has been able to start to design things around what each guy does well.

"Some of the most successful runs when I've been out there at practice have come in 12-personnel."

"Week 2 will tell me if it's a weapon or not, OK," Ikard continued. "That's when we'll start to know, going against a big-time, talented, big, physical defense in Ann Arbor. ... That's gonna be a measuring-stick game for this tight end group, but I feel pretty good about it, man."

What is 12-personnel?

It's been a bit since the Sooners have relied much at all on 12-personnel formations, so for fans who have forgotten, 12-personnel groups bring in a second tight end onto the field while having just two wide receivers out wide. There's also one running back in the backfield, and with heavier personnel, Oklahoma could even put Mateer under center more often. That's all been rare for the Sooners recently, even before Ben Arbuckle took over as offensive coordinator last year.

According to Ikard, Oklahoma was in 12-personnel about 9% of the time last season. He expects that number to inflate to as much as 20% in 2026.

Mostly thanks to old tight ends coach Joe Jon Finley, the Sooners were just flat out unable to do this in recent seasons because of talent and size at the position, especially in the SEC. Oklahoma's best tight end last season was converted linebacker Jaren Kanak. He held his own and was a viable threat in the passing game, but at 6-foot-2 and 233 pounds and not having to really block ever before in college, Kanak was a liability in the run game.

For comparison, Jason Witten's three go-to tight ends are listed at 6-8 and 270, 6-5 and 240, and 6-4 and 253. They all also have legit experience at the position. Hansen and Van Dorselaer have even made multiple starts going up against SEC edge rushers.

Read more: How Oklahoma’s transfer moves signal a new identity on offense in 2026

The main point of 12-personnel is to bolster blocking for the run game with another big-bodied tight end in close. The Sooners obviously have that now. That also (usually) forces the opposing defense to bring in bigger bodies to focus on shutting down the run.

And that's where Mateer and OU's passing game benefits.

How John Mateer benefits from more 12-personnel

On top of bringing in massive tight ends from the transfer portal, the Sooners also paired more speedy receivers with Isaiah Sategna III, who's one of the fastest players in college football. In 12-personnel, it will likely be Sategna with Trell Harris or Parker Livingstone. A possible extra linebacker on the field isn't keeping up with any of those dudes. All of OU's tight ends are also threats catching passes, especially Beers, who set a Colorado State single-season touchdown record last season.

All that is a formula to make 12-personnel succeed and also set up Mateer better than ever. A viable run game will take more pressure off Mateer while the passing game will also be more open for explosive plays, which the offense lacked the past two seasons.

Read more: 5 John Mateer stats that must improve for Oklahoma to be better in 2026

There's also Mateer's ability as a runner. The Sooners' offense was at its best in 2025 when Mateer was an effective rusher. If the ball's in Mateer's hands, he not only has extra blockers at tight end, but also from the running back, which forces mismatches on the defense. That, in turn, makes the play-action pass more dangerous, which again benefits the passing game.

This insight of more 12-personnel from the Sooners is only good news from Ikard.

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