The Oklahoma Sooners added a difference maker in the transfer portal with the arrival of quarterback John Mateer. The hope is the combination of Mateer and new offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle will pay huge dividends in revitalizing the Sooners offense.
Oklahoma finished No. 97 in the nation in points per game last year, averaging just 24 points per game. In their only SEC wins, the Sooners scored just 27 against Auburn and 24 against Alabama. In both games, Kip Lewis provided an interception return for a touchdown to add to the total. Billy Bowman also provided an fumble return for a touchdown against Missouri to give the Sooners a late lead, that the defense and Jackson Arnold then squandered.
Take those defensive scores out of the equation and the Sooners averaged just 13.9 points per game in SEC play. That’s simply not going to cut it at a program like Oklahoma. Not even close.
Head coach Brent Venables made substantial changes to the offense this offseason by bringing in Arbuckle and Mateer to lead the offense. They made a bold stroke in their offensive coordinator search and in the transfer portal to get one of the more highly regarded quarterbacks available. There’s no time to rest for the Sooners, who will once again have a tough schedule in 2025, but if Mateer is everything the Sooners hope he is, the offense should be good enough to get Oklahoma back into the College Football Playoff conversation, a place they haven’t been since 2019.
Steve Lassan of Athlon Sports is cautiously optimistic of Mateer. Mateer came in at No. 7 in Lassan’s rankings of SEC quarterbacks for 2025.
After a breakout season at Washington State in 2024 (3,965 total yards and 44 overall scores), Mateer followed offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle from Pullman to Oklahoma. Mateer’s all-around playmaking ability will be a huge asset for the Sooners. However, he also has to prove he can maintain last year’s production in the SEC with a steep increase in production. – Lassan, Athlon Sports
More: Early SEC Quarterback Rankings for 2025
Mateer comes in behind Arch Manning, Garrett Nussmeier, LaNorris Sellers, D.J. Lagway, Diego Pavia, and Nico Iamaleava.
It’s certainly a jump in competition for Mateer, coming over from Washington State. But it was for a guy like Pavia as well, and he led Vanderbilt to their best season in years and was one of the breakout players in the conference in 2024. Pavia made the jump from New Mexico State and played well enough for the Commodores to go 3-5 in SEC play. That’s not the record the Sooners are hoping for but it’s a significant improvement for Vanderbilt.
Mateer’s level of competition at Washington State last year was more difficult than what Pavia took on in 2023 with New Mexico State.
Mateer shouldn’t have to be everything for the Sooners like he was for the Cougars last year. Oklahoma will have a good defense and should have an improved offensive line. Creating chemistry with an more talented group of receivers than he played with at Washington State will be paramount, but his familiarity with the offense and chemistry with Arbuckle should fast track Oklahoma’s offense this offseason in preparation for 2025.
This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: John Mateer outside top 5 in SEC per Athlon Sports
