Quarterback uncertainty is the headline in Gainesville, where Oklahoma and Florida meet Saturday in an SEC matchup that has both sides sorting through questions under center.
For Oklahoma, the spotlight only got brighter after offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle was fired in the wake of last week’s 42-25 loss to South Carolina. John Mateer has started every game for the Sooners this season, but his play has been uneven, with 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions fueling a roller-coaster first two months of the 2026 season.
When Arbuckle was still running the offense, he and coach Brent Venables made it clear Mateer was the guy. That tone changed after the coaching shakeup, with tight ends coach Jason Witten stepping in as interim offensive coordinator.
“Everybody has a fresh start, a fresh slate with the change,” Venables said. “So we’ll see where all of that goes. But players do believe in John.”
If Oklahoma does decide to go another direction, the choices are junior Whitt Newbauer, who has spent two seasons in the system after transferring from Mercer, and freshman Bowe Bentley. Neither has played since the Sooners’ season opener against UTEP on Sept. 4.
Venables passed over a more experienced play caller in Kevin Wilson, his assistant head coach for offense, and instead handed the job to Witten, who spent the previous five seasons coaching high school football before joining the staff. Venables said Witten has already made a strong impact.
“He’s over-exceeded our expectations just from a leadership, a cohesion, the improvement that he’s helped us make at the tight end position,” Venables said. “He’s got an incredible wealth of knowledge.
His communication skills are elite. He’s built trust and real relationships with our entire staff, but also the players, which is important.”
That tight end room has included Hayden Hansen, who transferred to Oklahoma from Florida after four seasons with the Gators.
Florida has its own quarterback decision to manage. The 24th-ranked Gators are expected to go back to Tramell Jones Jr. for his second start, which would push Aaron Philo back into the backup role.
Both quarterbacks have completed more than 70% of their passes, but both have also been prone to interceptions. Head coach Jon Sumrall said the offensive line has made the evaluation tougher.
Sumrall said Philo and Jones practiced when the week opened Monday, but he wasn’t about to reveal his hand early.
“I’m not gonna make some big quarterback-one announcement,” Sumrall said. “I have a plan that is already kind of in motion and in place. ... We need both of them to be ready to play to go win.”
Florida enters off a 27-8 loss to Georgia, a game in which Philo and Jones combined for three interceptions and no touchdowns while the Gators managed a season-low 246 yards of total offense.
The Gators may also be short on receiver Vernell Brown III, who has not played since late September and had a setback with his knee injury last week. Brown has 17 catches for 271 yards and two touchdowns this season.
Oklahoma, meanwhile, has been dealing with its own injury issues up front. Guards Eddy Pierre-Louis and Ryan Fodje have missed extended time, and center Jake Maikkula sat out last week.
Saturday’s game will be the first meeting between the programs on either campus. Their previous two matchups, the most recent in December 2020, came in bowl games.
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