John Mateer Leads Oklahoma Over Michigan: What to Know About the Sooner QB & His Big Night

John Mateer Leads Oklahoma Over Michigan: What to Know About the Sooner QB & His Big Night image

Oklahoma secured a statement win Saturday night, defeating No. 15 Michigan 21-13 in Norman. The Sooners’ defense contained the Wolverines throughout the game, but it was transfer quarterback John Mateer who stole the show.

Mateer completed 60 percent of his passes for 266 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He added 76 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in his first primetime appearance as a Sooner.

The performance helped Oklahoma grab a crucial home victory as the program continues its transition to SEC competition.

From Texas to Washington State to Oklahoma

Mateer grew up in Little Elm, Texas, about 170 miles south of Norman. Despite playing in a recruiting hotbed, he wasn’t heavily recruited out of high school.

247Sports rated him as a three-star recruit from the class of 2022. Washington State offered him the only power-conference scholarship he received.

After redshirting his freshman year, Mateer backed up Cam Ward at Washington State in 2023. He took over as the Cougars’ starter in 2024 and threw for 3,139 yards with 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also rushed for 826 yards and 14 touchdowns.

When WSU head coach Jake Dickert left for Wake Forest, Mateer entered the transfer portal. His former offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle had already joined Brent Venables’ staff at Oklahoma, making the decision easier.

“They were throwing some freaking money at me, man — oh my god,” Mateer told ESPN this offseason. “But it wasn’t about that. The money was always going to come. The scheme and the fit had to be right.”

Mateer’s teammates named him a captain before the 2025 season. During Week 1 against Illinois State, he broke Baker Mayfield’s record for passing yards in a Sooner debut with 392 yards.

“John’s always been a gamer,” Arbuckle told The Athletic. “And the best thing about him is that he’s never lost that mentality and that gamer style of play, but he’s just gotten smarter about when to use it.”

NFL Draft buzz building

Mateer’s strong play has generated early NFL draft interest. CBS Sports’ Mike Renner included him on his preseason 2026 NFL draft big board.

Renner pointed to Mateer’s improvement throughout his first season as a starter at Washington State. His accuracy issues early in 2024 decreased as the year progressed, with his final three games earning his highest grades from Pro Football Focus.

A big reason I’m excited about Mateer’s development is because we already saw it over the course of his first year as a starter. The bouts of inaccuracy and head-scratching throws, which were frequent early on in the year, dwindled down the stretch. In fact, his final three games of 2024 were his three highest-graded of the season, according to PFF. While that carried over into Week 1 against Illinois State, we’ll need to see it carry over against SEC competition before NFL evaluators buy in.

One mock draft has Mateer going 13th overall to Pittsburgh.

NFLMockDraftDatabase also projects the Los Angeles Rams as a potential landing spot late in the first round.

After Saturday’s win, Mateer discussed Oklahoma’s use of him in the running game:

What’s next for Oklahoma

Saturday’s victory came against a Michigan team that finished 6-6 last season. The real test comes as Oklahoma faces a brutal SEC schedule:

Date Opponent
Sept. 13 At Temple
Sept. 20 Vs. Auburn
Oct. 4 Vs. Kent State
Oct. 11 Vs. No. 11 Texas
Oct. 18 At No. 10 South Carolina
Oct. 25 Vs. No. 20 Ole Miss
Nov. 1 At No. 22 Tennessee
Nov. 15 At No. 21 Alabama
Nov. 22 At Missouri
Nov. 29 Vs. No. 3 LSU

The upcoming stretch will determine how far Mateer can take the Sooners in their SEC debut season.

Tom Wilson avatar
Tom Wilson