Let's be clear, this is not an official report, but Oklahoma Sooners fans are believing OU quarterback John Mateer could return from a throwing hand injury in time to play against Texas in the Red River Rivalry because of a message board post that went viral this week.
A message boards post on TexAgs.com, a site that covers Texas A&M, was shared to X and eventually spread everywhere, because it claimed Mateer will return for the Red River Rivalry and even included a backstory.
Social media buzzing that Mateer could return for Red River Rivalry
According to the post from the user "OklahomaSooner Ag," Mateer was at Chipotle in Norman on Monday night when a restaurant worked asked Mateer about his hand injury. Mateer, according to the post, said that he is "100% going to play vs Texas" on Oct. 11.
After the post went viral on X and the "tortilla presser" gained fame among Sooner Nation, another account on X responded that their son was the aforementioned "tortilla presser" and included a picture of Mateer with a Chipotle worker.
That “tortilla presser” is my youngest, he’s a Junior at OU and his old man is Aggie Class of ‘88 pic.twitter.com/Dnhxql97UY
— Whitsy (@dinkpro1) October 1, 2025
The "tortilla presser" and the rumor was quickly all over social media and was even mentioned on local sports radio, giving Sooner Nation hope that its Heisman contender would be back to play against the Sooners' biggest rival.
Reliable sources at Chipotle tell MBG that John Mateer will start for #Oklahoma when they play #Texas on October 11. pic.twitter.com/GHFiPGC1i7
— Message Board Geniuses (@BoardGeniuses) October 1, 2025
So the “Tortilla Presser” is real. We’ll see if Mateer was telling him the truth October 11th 🤷🏼♂️ pic.twitter.com/9ed6CaGsEW
— Mike Steely (@steelyonsports) October 1, 2025
Alright folks, I did some investigating about this so called “Tortilla Presser” message board leak.
— OklahomaMuse (@OklahomaMuse) October 1, 2025
I drove over to @ChipotleTweets in Norman. To my surprise, the Heisman front runner was still there…
I grabbed these photos for proof.
I asked John about the return for RRR,… https://t.co/v5wZxMTAOX pic.twitter.com/rRimngPWI4
Per, a Chipotle worker who goes by “Tortilla Presser,” John Mateer will play in the Red River Rivalry. College football is so wacky. I love it. https://t.co/T4phv3m2Cp
— Dekota Gregory (@dekotagregory) October 1, 2025
Shin for the win! pic.twitter.com/9cPfuAWVHi
— Sportstoons (@sportstoons) October 2, 2025
The European mind could never imagine getting critical news about a multi-million dollar team from a Chipotle Tortilla Presser. https://t.co/BdZW1zt53C
— Brewer Sooner (@BrewerSooner) October 1, 2025
The John Mateer Chipotle Gate message board rumor about being ready for Red River is too weird to not have some truth to it.
— J.D. PicKell (@jdpickell) October 2, 2025
The college football community stays unbeaten.https://t.co/dKyfqkYKrg https://t.co/bNSVFVYNy8 pic.twitter.com/AW9zCsYLde
Mateer injured his throwing hand against Auburn on Sept. 20 and had surgery last week. No official timeline for his return has been given, and although Mateer will for sure be sidelined against Kent State on Saturday, OU fans have been most concerned about Mateer's status for the Red River Rivalry.
According to a reliable report from Matt Zenits of CBS Sports last week, "there seems to be at least an outside chance Mateer could be back as early as OU’s game vs. Texas Oct. 11." Multiple reports initially said Mateer would be out for "about a month."
However, the unknown and OU head coach Brent Venables being extremely tight-lipped about Mateer's status has Sooner Nation on edge and looking anywhere for answers.
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