John Mateer earns high praise as Oklahoma enters new era, hoping to return to high Sooners standards

ATLANTA (AP) — The Oklahoma Sooners, a storied program with a legacy of seven national championships, have faced uncharacteristic struggles in recent years. After two 6-7 seasons in three years and a 13th-place finish in the SEC under coach Brent Venables, the Sooners hope to get back on track this season.

New quarterback John Mateer, who transferred from Washington State, plays a key role in the program’s plan to return to the top. Months into his tenure, he’s earning praise from coaches and teammates alike.

“This is a guy that wants to win at the highest level. A connector. A guy that leads from the front. As he plays the game, he looks like he’s in fast forward a lot of times. A great competitor. Super athletic. Throws the ball really well on the run. Makes a lot of good decisions,” Venables said at SEC Media Days on Wednesday.

A strong quarterback is a key ingredient in the Sooners’ past success. The QB room in Norman has had a star-studded lineup this decade, led by Heisman winners Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray, Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts, first-overall pick Caleb Williams and dominant college QBs Spencer Rattler and Dillon Gabriel. High expectations coupled with an injured receiving corps proved to be an unfavorable combination for freshman Jackson Arnold, who transferred to SEC opponent Auburn after quarterbacking the Sooners’ offense in 2024.

Venables chose Mateer and defensive playmakers Robert Spears-Jennings and R Mason Thomas to represent the program at SEC Media Days in Atlanta.

Despite being on different ends of the field, Spears-Jennings and Thomas have identified Mateer’s seamless transition into Norman and the traits that make him an ideal leader.

“He’s integrated himself into the team smoothly. If he says he’s anxious or he was a little nervous, he didn’t look like he was to me,” Thomas said. “It felt like he’d been here for four years.”

Mateer isn’t the only newcomer. Oklahoma picked up key pieces in the transfer portal and added five new coaches. One of those new coaches worked with Mateer as an offensive coordinator and QB coach at Washington State, Ben Arbuckle.

“I feel like with Arbuckle and John, they bring a different type of swag with them. I feel like our whole offense has embodied their swag and energy because once they score a touchdown, their whole side is over there running, celebrating with the guys, and that’s what you need. You need energy. I feel like these guys here love playing football,” said Spears-Jennings.

Arbuckle is one of the reasons for the quarterback’s smooth transition. Instead of learning a new offense, Mateer built relationships with his new teammates.

“I was fortunate because I didn’t have to learn a whole new offense. I was able to take time to learn the players that I was going to play with and build relationships with them in the locker room, hang out and help them learn the offense,” Mateer said. “Building relationships is the most important thing to leading. You can’t lead people you don’t know.”

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