Oklahoma Sooners quarterback John Mateer is entering his final season as the starting quarterback for the Sooners. Mateer came to Norman after spending three seasons with the Washington State Cougars.
He broke out in 2024 with Washington State, throwing for 3,139 yards, 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions, while rushing for 826 yards and 15 scores. That made him one of the top players in the transfer portal. In his first season in Norman, he threw for 2,885 yards, 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, while rushing for 431 yards and eight scores.
His up-and-down performance has brought him scrutiny from national media. Mateer said he understands it, but their critiques is not what motivates him.
"I understand," Mateer said via OUInsider. "I didn't
play that well towards the end of the year. I didn't think I did. I'm motivated not because of the outside, you know, how people view it. I'm not motivated by the perception; I'm motivated by the way I play on film. The film doesn't lie, and I cringed when I watched the film last year. So, I get an opportunity to go out and play my best ball."
The stakes are significant for both Mateer and Oklahoma. The Sooners are coming off a 10-3 season and a trip to the College Football Playoff, but the offense averaged only 354.3 yards per game last season. Improving that production will be critical if Oklahoma wants to take another step nationally.
Mateer has already demonstrated that he can be an explosive dual-threat quarterback. The question is whether he can rediscover the consistency that made him one of the nation's most coveted transfer players in the first place. With Oklahoma opening the season against the University of Texas at El Paso Miners on Friday, he won't have to wait long to show whether the work he put into correcting his film can translate to the field.
Ultimately, Mateer's comments suggest that he isn't running from last season's shortcomings. He's using them as a benchmark. If he can turn the plays that made him cringe into lessons that sharpen his decision-making and execution, Oklahoma could get the version of Mateer it expected when he arrived in Norman, and that could raise the Sooners' ceiling in 2026.
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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: John Mateer is fueled by one thing heading into his final season
