John Mateer’s recent performance against Georgia has Oklahoma fans calling for him to be benched. Through four games this season, he has eight touchdowns and four interceptions, not to mention the two disastrous fumbles in the Georgia game. Mateer has a QB rating of 59.4, which is ranked 70th in the country. That is below the standard at Oklahoma. So who is the other option? A transfer from Mercer named Whitt Newbauer.
Newbauer has been at Oklahoma since 2025. In 2024, as a true freshman, he was the starting quarterback for Mercer. While there, he was able to put together some impressive film that got the attention of Oklahoma and ultimately led to his transfer. What did OU see in him?
Pros of Whitt Newbauer
Good ball placement
A skill that elite quarterbacks all have in common is the ability to place the ball where they want it. This is different than completion percentage, although they are related.
A quarterback who has good ball placement is able to keep the ball and his receivers out of danger. Newbauer has the ability to throw the ball where his receivers should go and where the defense is unable to make a play on the ball. With the talent Oklahoma has at receiver, good ball placement can be the difference between an explosive play and someone getting injured from a big hit.
Size and arm strength
Newbauer is listed at 6-foot-6 and 237 pounds. That would make him the tallest and heaviest starting quarterback in the SEC. His big build translates to superb arm strength. Reports of his throwing power were rampant throughout spring and fall camp.
A commanding presence in the pocket with a cannon ready to fire could be the kind of quarterback this Oklahoma offense needs to get going this season.
Whitt Newbauer is the Shotgun in the long stem roses box, yet we keep bringing a knife to a gun fight. #BOOMER pic.twitter.com/Q561a6AoCn
— Tattoo Baker 🎥✨ (@TattooBaker) September 28, 2026
Cons of Whitt Newbauer
Experience
Newbauer has only ever played a competitive game at Mercer. While there, he did play Alabama, in which Newbauer put up more passing yards than John Mateer did in Tuscaloosa during the 2025 season. Besides that game, they went 7-1 in the Southern Conference and made the FCS playoffs, where they lost to North Dakota State. The jump to quarterbacking in the SEC is a big step that not many quarterbacks can make.
Elusiveness
The Oklahoma offensive line is having another year of struggles. Newbauer, while having the build of a pocket passer, may not have the luxury to stand in the pocket and sling the rock around the field. His Mercer film shows he’s not afraid to move outside of the pocket, but as one can imagine, he’s not the shiftiest guy out there. SEC pass rushers will be faster than anything he has faced in a real game yet and could prove to be too much for the big quarterback.
No one knows if a change will be made, but it is clear that something needs to change on the offense, and fans are desperate for it. Benching Mateer for Newbauer may be the spark this offense needs to get things moving in the right direction. No fan is asking for a world-beater of an offense with a Heisman contender leading them. Oklahoma fans just want to see something positive.
If this offense can begin to move the ball at a mediocre level, then OU will have a chance to win football games. Until that happens, the season has a really ugly outlook.
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