Oklahoma QB John Mateer leans on ‘uncomfortable’ 2025 to spark offensive resurgence

Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer has come to grips with his struggles in last season’s losses to Texas and Alabama. That doesn’t make those games any less painful to rewatch, however.

“It’s very uncomfortable to watch,” Mateer told SEC Network on Monday from media days. “It really is, and I learned a lot.”

The one play that’s really stuck with Mateer throughout the offseason was his pick-6 in the Sooners’ College Football Playoff loss to the Crimson Tide. The Alabama defense completely fooled Mateer, and he threw an interception that tied the game right before halftime.

“That one play against Alabama, they got me,” Mateer said. “They did. It is a bad play. Everyone knows what I’m talking about. I’ve thought about it a million times.”

The Crimson Tide went on to defeat the Sooners, 34-24, and Mateer’s interception proved to be a turning point. Having digested that moment, Mateer said he’ll use it to improve in 2026.

“I’ll be better for it,” Mateer said.

If one mistake defined Mateer’s playoff performance against Alabama, a series of poor decisions and inaccurate throws derailed Oklahoma in a 23-6 loss to Texas. Mateer completed just 52.6% of his passes for 202 yards and three interceptions.

Just 17 days removed from hand surgery, Mateer doesn’t regret his decision to play, in spite of the results. Mateer said he proved something to himself — that he could battle through pain in order to be on the field with his teammates in the biggest game of the regular season.

“I’m glad I did it because it showed me that you could fight through a lot, even though I was obviously not 100 percent,” Mateer said. “It was a very difficult thing to do. I’m glad I did it — even though I failed.”

Those two blemishes aside, Mateer was great in his first season at Oklahoma. The Washington State transfer connected on 62.2% of his passes for 2,885 yards, 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while also rushing for 439 yards and eight scores. Mateer is hopeful he can use the lessons he learned last year to help Oklahoma reach another level this fall.

Mateer tweaks mentality, throwing motion

Last season, Mateer used his athleticism to make plays that brought fans to the edge of their seats, but not always for the right reasons. Going into 2026, the Oklahoma star is altering his mentality and his throwing motion in the wake of his hand injury.

Mateer’s athleticism allows him to do a lot both inside and outside the pocket — sometimes too much — which bit him against Texas and Alabama. That’s why Mateer has placed greater emphasis on playing within offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle’s offense. Of course, Mateer won’t completely ignore his instincts.

“I’ve never had a problem trying to stay too in line with the offense because the plays will come, but don’t take your instincts away,” Mateer said.

The other reason Mateer wants to play on schedule more often is that improvising can take a greater physical toll. He took too many hits last fall, and neither he nor the Sooners can afford to let that happen again.

“If I want to play the game a long time, I have to be able to do it,” Mateer said.

Mateer’s mental reset is also coming with a physical reset. His throwing motion has been unconventional since his time at Washington State, but his fundamentals really dropped off as a result of last year’s hand injury, forcing him to “compensate” to get more mustard on his throws.

“It’s not that different,” Mateer said of his new throwing motion. “That’s why I believe I’ll be able to do it — and also the practices I’ve had. It’s a pattern I already had at Washington State, and then it kind of dropped off.”

After a promising first season in Norman, Mateer has said all the right things about wanting to correct past mistakes in order to propel Oklahoma on a deep playoff run this fall. If Mateer can apply his new mindset and refined throwing mechanics when real games begin, the sky is the limit for the Sooners.