Other SEC coaches won't say it out loud, but they're worried about what the Oklahoma Sooners have with new transfer John Mateer at quarterback heading into the 2025 college football season.
ESPN recently asked several coaches from around the country to anonymously give their thoughts on some notable college quarterbacks for this season, including Mateer, who transferred to OU from Washington State over the offseason.
ESPN asks college football coaches to anonymously discuss top QBs
"He's a triple threat," an SEC defensive coordinator told ESPN. "He can throw it, he can scramble and they can call runs for him. Those kinds of guys are the ones hard to defend. Very fearless. He's got all the moxie and the intangibles to go with it."
Mateer led the FBS with 44 total touchdowns last season as a sophomore in his first year as a starter because of that "triple-threat" ability. He threw for 3,139 yards and 29 TDs compared to seven interceptions, plus 826 rushing yards and 15 scores.
However, with his 6-foot-1 and 224-pound frame, some question Mateer's durability now in the SEC and going up against much tougher defenses weekly.
"He doesn't look very big," an SEC defensive coordinator said. "The human body can only take so many hits, and if you're not a big dude in this league, it'll take its toll."
Mateer's transition from a dying Pac-12 to the SEC has been the biggest question mark. That's his only major adjustment, though, since he followed his offensive coordinator, Ben Arbuckle, to Norman so will be in the same system, but with even more talent around him.
OU head coach Brent Venables has made it clear, though, that he doesn't believe Mateer or transfer running back Jaydn Ott will struggle in a new conference. And at least one other coach outside of Oklahoma agrees with Venables.
"He's going to be one of the better quarterbacks in the SEC," a coach who faced Mateer last season told ESPN. "If he can stay healthy -- because they run him like a running back -- they'll be a much better team. He's the type of guy who can change your whole culture."
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