Through four games last season, Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer looked like a budding Heisman Trophy candidate in his first season at the Power 4 level.
During that early stretch, he tallied six passing touchdowns and chipped in another five scores on the ground. He dazzled on the national stage against a stout Wink Martindale-led Michigan defense and looked every bit the dual-threat super weapon he resembled the year prior at Washington State.
Then came the moment that altered the trajectory of his promising season. In the fourth game against Auburn, Mateer suffered a broken bone in his right thumb. He had surgery four days later. After an initial diagnosis of up to a month on the sidelines, Mateer rallied three weeks later and played in the Red River Rivalry against arch-rival Texas.
Despite his valiant effort to play, Mateer looked like a shell of his former self. He lacked the necessary touch on his passes. His accuracy suffered. The Sooners failed to score an offensive touchdown against the Longhorns, and in the weeks that followed, Mateer never looked the same. He closed the season with negative passing efficiency in his last four games, according to Hudl IQ, and the Sooners’ season stalled out just as it was getting started.
After an offseason spent refining his throwing motion and adding strength to his frame, head coach Brent Venables will be hoping that Mateer can return to form and be the catalyst for an Oklahoma team with sights on the College Football Playoff for a second-straight season.
But questions remain about the long-term viability of a player like Mateer — who plays with reckless abandon and puts his body on the line each game — over the course of a long college football season.
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Will the Real John Mateer Please Stand Up?
Mateer’s 2025 campaign was a tale of two seasons – before the injury and what happened afterwards.
But before diving into the specifics of Mateer’s 2025 season at Oklahoma, it’s important to understand what the Sooners thought they were getting when they nabbed Mateer from the transfer portal, alongside his former offensive coordinator, Ben Arbuckle.
Two seasons ago, Mateer was a revelation at Washington State.
According to Hudl IQ, he notched positive EPA/Play (0.29) and EPA/Pass (0.28) figures, while generating 6.9 non-sack-adjusted yards per rush. He also completed over 64% of his passes and posted a Pass Chunk Percentage just shy of 24%.
The part of Mateer’s game that the advanced stats don’t do justice is just how wildly entertaining he is when he steps on a football field. For the Cougars, Mateer was Half Man, Half Amazing, regularly wowing with his dual-threat abilities. It didn’t matter that he was doing it at the Group of 6 level. He looked every bit like a superstar hiding in plain sight.
That’s what makes last season’s performances so confusing.
To start last season, Mateer took college football by storm, if only for a brief moment. On the national stage in a premier matchup against Michigan, Mateer lit the Wolverines up for 270 yards through the air and another 74 yards and two scores on the ground. Visually, he performed like a Johnny Manziel look-alike, slicing and dicing a good Big Ten defense with ease. It was a joy to watch.
But when you examine Mateer’s full body of work, the advanced stats paint the picture of a quarterback who leaves a lot to be desired.
On the season as a whole, according to Hudl IQ, Mateer was merely a slightly above-average quarterback by most advanced metrics.
He finished the season with positive EPA/Play (0.02) and EPA/Pass (0.01) figures, and completed 62.2% of his passes. By comparison, the year prior at Washington State, Mateer notched 0.29 EPA/Play and 0.28 EPA/Pass figures. He also posted a significantly lower non-sack-adjusted yards per rush figure of 4.9.
One thing that really stands out about Mateer’s performances down the stretch of last season was his inaccuracy as a passer.
Looking at Mateer’s Hudl IQ Passing Chart, it’s clear to see that he struggled with accuracy. The numbers bear this out, as year over year, he posted almost a full two percentage points worse completion percentage at Oklahoma as compared with his 2024 season at Washington State.
One other interesting data point when judging Mateer’s season at Washington State with his season at Oklahoma is the type of quarterbacks he compares to.
Using the Hudl IQ Player Comparison tool, we can see that during the 2024 season, Mateer’s output was very comparable to Texas quarterback Arch Manning and Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart – two players who had a great impact on their respective offenses by utilizing their arms and legs.
Last season was a different story, however. According to Hudl IQ, Mateer’s 2025 season is most comparable to a list of quarterbacks with far less notable resumes, ranging from guys like BYU’s Bear Bachmeier and JC French (Georgia Southern in 2025 and transferred to Cincinnati this year) – both players who made things happen with their legs, but are widely known as less-refined passers.
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What Happens This Season Will Define John Mateer
The simplest answer to the questions surrounding John Mateer is that last season, he looked great when healthy and a shell of himself after his thumb surgery. Perhaps, in this case, the easy answer is the right one.
If he comes out of the gate hot and looks closer to the 2024 John Mateer or the quarterback who lit it up for the first four games of the 2025 season, perhaps this whole argument is for naught.
But if he doesn’t, the questions about his accuracy, longevity and effectiveness as a high-level college quarterback will continue to linger.
By October, we’ll likely have the answer. Either the real Mateer stands up, and Oklahoma’s offense follows him to newfound heights, or the questions that trailed him in 2025 follow him into whatever comes next.
