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John Mateer finishing off 'super productive' spring, confident he'll be different QB in 2026

by: Jesse Crittenden04/19/26JesseCrittenden

NORMAN — John Mateer didn’t try to reinvent the wheel on Saturday. It was about keeping things simple and finding his playmakers in good spots.

Mission accomplished.

The OU quarterback was very solid in his second spring game in Norman. He completed 12-of-19 passes for 185 yards and a touchdown. The biggest play of the game came when he found a wide open Isaiah Sategna down the field for a 50-yard reception.

The spring game was a culmination of what’s been a solid few weeks of practice for Mateer.

“It was super productive; that’s the word I’d use,” Mateer said about his second spring in Norman. “There are a lot of things still to clean up, but that’s what’s so beautiful about this game. Every play, even on the good plays, there’s something to do better and that’s the biggest thing I’ve learned. Every play, there’s something to learn, no matter if it’s good or it’s bad.”

Of course, the Spring Game isn’t the real test for Mateer. That will come in the fall.

The expectations were sky high for Mateer entering last season, his first in Norman. Through four weeks, he delivered on that excitement and emerged as an early Heisman candidate. But he never recovered after a midseason thumb injury, and his play — and the offense as a whole — dipped significantly. He threw 14 touchdowns compared to 11 interceptions and completed just 62.2% of his passes. His throwing mechanics looked off and he struggled with confidence in the pocket.

He’s back for another season, but he knows he has to be a lot better for the Sooners to fare better in 2026. He’s confident he’ll be a different, and better, quarterback.

“I’d say, like, (it’s about) transitioning to playing on Sundays, you know, but doing it on Saturdays,” Mateer said. ” hanging out in the pocket, get through my progression, pocket movement better and just being able to put the ball where I want to, where I need to. See the game with more anticipation and more knowledge pre-snap. There’s a lot, but still being able to make plays and extend plays like I can. Balancing those and trusting my instincts and making pocket-passing more instinctive. And that’s probably every quarterback’s goal.”

Mateer has never struggled with confidence, but he’s definitely grown more since he arrived a year ago. In addition to hopefully taking strides as a quarterback, he’s done more to accept the heavy responsibility of being the starter at OU.

“it’s definitely more — normal isn’t the word, but I’m used to it,” Mateer said. “I’m used to having a spotlight. It’s probably the right thing. And then the fans, the opinions, all the people—good or bad—and it’s fun. If I ever feel a certain way, it’s like, ‘Well, I’ve dreamed about this my whole life,’ but it’s a lot of fun. I understand how much it means to people more, I think that’s the biggest thing, just being in it for a year and seeing all the people, but that’s the biggest change.”

Despite his up and down season a year ago, the Sooners have never wavered in their belief in Mateer. They’ve done a lot of the last few months to support him as much as possible. Now it’s about putting the work on the field.

Venables is confident Mateer will take the necessary steps forward.

“Leadership, decision-making, touch,” Venables said on Mateer’s Spring Game. “He has a chance to be a fantastic playmaker at that position. John makes things happen, whether he’s improvising—things break down, he uses his legs, he’s in the run game—but at the end of the day, I think he’s a guy that threatens a defense and requires numbers in the right spots, whether that’s in coverage or in the run game.

“I expect him leading the way to be a more cohesive, more consistent, more explosive, better-balanced offense.”

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