John Mateer's journey with Oklahoma started with high hopes and Heisman buzz. While individual accolades didn't quite materialize, Mateer led the Sooners to their first College Football Playoff since the expansion beyond four teams. With a year in the SEC under his belt, the pressure might be easing, but last year's performance may have some underestimating his potential for 2026.
Athlon Sports recently ranked SEC quarterbacks, placing Mateer at No. 7 out of 16. According to Steve Lassan, "A chance to get healthy, along with an improved offensive line, rushing attack, and receiving corps, should help Mateer thrive for his second trip through the SEC."
Mateer finds himself trailing Texas' Arch Manning, Ole Miss' Trindad Chambliss, Georgia's Gunnar Stockton, LSU's Sam Leavitt, South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers, and Texas A&M's Marcel Reed. Five of these quarterbacks are returning, while Leavitt joins from Arizona State. Each of the returnees ended last season with higher quarterback ratings than Mateer, though only Reed threw more than Mateer's 11 interceptions.
However, Mateer's strength lies in his running game. Among returning starters, only Reed surpassed him in rushing yards per game.
With the offensive line improvements mentioned by Lassan, expect Mateer to improve on his 2.96 yards per carry next year. If he does, he could well climb higher in the SEC quarterback rankings.