Former Washington State Cougars quarterback John Mateer joined the Oklahoma Sooners through the transfer portal in mid-December. How will the dynamic Mateer enhance the Sooners’ offense and College Football Playoff chances?
Sooners Head Coach Brent Venables Lauds QB John Mateer’s Leadership, Talent
Ahead of Oklahoma’s bowl game against Navy, head coach Brent Venables touched on the addition of their top transfer, quarterback John Mateer.
“John’s a leader. He’s experienced. He’s got great arm talent. Really good instincts,” Venables said. “And, you know, he’ll make us better.”
After confronting the disappointment of a 6-6 regular season plagued with below-average quarterback play, the Sooners dipped into the portal. They landed the top-rated player in the portal at the position they needed help most.
The addition of offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle, formerly assuming the same position for the Washington State Cougars, likely played a large part in Mateer’s transfer to Oklahoma. Arbuckle and Mateer helped lead the Cougars to the nation’s No. 8 scoring offense at 36.8 points per game.
Starting his first season as a redshirt sophomore, Mateer had a phenomenal debut season in 2024.
Completing 64.6% of his passes, Mateer threw for 3,139 yards and 29 touchdowns to only seven interceptions. He also excelled in the run game, totaling 826 yards and 15 touchdowns. The Cougars finished with an 8-4 record but were ranked as high as No. 18 in mid-November before three crushing, one-possession losses to finish the season.
John Mateer vs. Texas Tech 🎥
Pass: 9/19, 115 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rush: 21 car, 197 yds, 1 TDWSU won 37-16
He shows his rushing ability in this game. Decisiveness, burst, toughness, and strength; leading his team to a W vs. a Big XII opponent 🔥#Sooners #BoomerSooner #OUDNA pic.twitter.com/LxyEO7Y5lS
— Sooner Nationalist (@soonerconnor44) December 26, 2024
The Sooners, quarterbacked for the majority of the season by Jackson Arnold, reached No. 15 before losing 25-15 at home to the Tennessee Volunteers. In that game, Arnold completed seven of 16 passes for only 54 yards and an interception. He also rushed five times for -21 yards.
That began a 3-6 stretch to finish the regular season.
Heading into 2025, expectations will be high for the Mateer-led Sooners. As far as what he brings, Venables is spot on.
Let’s ride, John Mateer! pic.twitter.com/3zt6gvYuij
— Tyler McComas (@Tyler_McComas) December 19, 2024
Arnold is considered a dual-threat quarterback. He had 15 or more carries in five games in 2024, yet only averaged 3.0 yards per carry. That’s not efficient enough for someone who is utilized as a contributor in the run game.
Mateer had seven such games of 15 or more carries for the Cougars. He averaged 4.6 yards per carry, along with 15 touchdowns on the ground compared to Arnold’s three.
Mateer is also an upgrade in terms of taking care of the ball; Arnold tallied nine fumbles as opposed to his counterpart’s five while the former played significantly more snaps.
Throughout the season, Mateer’s Cougars teammates seemed to rally around their signal-caller. Venables, likely seeing the same thing, lauded his leadership.
Navigating an SEC schedule is a tough task. A steady hand at the wheel is a necessity if the Sooners want to accomplish their goals, and they believe Mateer is the quarterback to help them get there.
College Football Network has you covered with the latest from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC, and every Group of Five conference and FBS Independent program.