The Oklahoma Sooners have struggled on offense. They can't run the ball, and quarterback John Mateer has been turning it over. That happened three times in the Sooners' 41-13 loss to the Georgia Bulldogs. Georgia turned those three turnovers into 17 points.
In the process, Mateer's stock has dropped significantly. He went from a dark-horse Heisman contender to open the season to a shell of the player we saw at the start of the 2025 season. And in Bill Connelly's ranking of every Power Four quarterback for ESPN, Mateer ranked No. 48 out of 68 quarterbacks. That's down from No. 19 in the preseason.
It's painful watching a QB lose the plot the way Mateer did in the second quarter against Georgia last Saturday. He threw an interception and had the ball
just slip out of his hands on two occasions. One of the fumbles was returned for a TD as the Sooners were blown out 41-13. They're 113th in points per drive and 76th in offensive SP+, and Mateer might find himself benched soon without a Red River rally against Texas. - Connelly, ESPN
Mateer comes in behind SEC true freshmen Jared Curtis of Vanderbilt and Faizon Brandon of Tennessee. But he's ahead of notable starters like LaNorris Sellers (South Carolina), Kenny Minchey (Kentucky), and Marcel Reed (Texas A&M).
So much of it for Mateer comes to comfort and confidence. He's not playing like a quarterback that's confident in what he's being asked to do or confident in what he's seeing from the defense. In the pocket, he's not comfortable, which isn't surprising as the Sooners offensive line has been questionable in 2026.
Still, despite what's happening around him, there's one thing Mateer can do better that's within his control. And that's take care of the football. He has four interceptions this season and three fumbles (two lost).
There's no telling if Mateer can rediscover the player that helped make him a Heisman contender after wins over Michigan and Auburn through the first month of 2025. On a bye week ahead of the Red River Showdown, expectations are at rock bottom. If Mateer and the Sooners are going to resurrect the offense, it has to happen right now. Oklahoma's College Football Playoff hopes depend on it.
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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Where does John Mateer rank among Power Four quarterbacks per ESPN?
