John Mateer is heading into his final college season with something Oklahoma has spent the last year chasing: a quarterback who knows exactly what the job demands.
That’s the part Ben Arbuckle keeps circling back to. The Sooners’ offensive coordinator is set to work with Mateer for a fourth season, counting their two years together at Washington State and their first year in Norman in 2025. For Arbuckle, that continuity matters, especially with Mateer now entering 2026 as a redshirt senior.
“(It) doesn’t happen a lot anymore,” Arbuckle said. “I consider myself very fortunate to get to be going into Year 4 with John. Just getting to see that maturation and transformation of him as a leader, as a player and as a young man, that builds a lot of confidence and a lot of trust.”
The growth Arbuckle sees isn’t about some dramatic reinvention. It’s about a quarterback who keeps showing up to get sharper. Arbuckle said that even as Mateer has developed, one thing has stayed the same: his daily hunger to improve.
That mindset was on display long before Oklahoma. Mateer arrived in Norman after a huge 2024 season at Washington State, when he threw for 3,130 yards, 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions. That production made him the No. 1 player in the transfer portal after the year, per 247Sports.
His first season with the Sooners started like a dream. Mateer helped Oklahoma notch ranked wins over Michigan and Auburn before a hand injury that required surgery changed the trajectory of his year. After he returned, the numbers weren’t the same: over the Sooners’ final eight games, he completed 59.4 percent of his passes for 1,670 yards, eight touchdowns and eight interceptions.
There were still plenty of moments to remember from 2025. Mateer just didn’t view the season as good enough.
So he went looking for answers inside Oklahoma’s building, leaning on the people around him who could help him process it and push forward.
“Whenever he self reflects and sits there and says, ‘Where can I get better?’ I watch him attack it head on,” Arbuckle said.
“Whether it’s meetings with Sam Bradford or Coach (Brent) Venables, he’s always up at the building. He’ll pop in with every single position coach, just trying to gain a deeper understanding of their room, how their room operates.
He’s constantly looking for that knowledge.”
That drive has always been part of Mateer’s makeup. What’s changed now is the amount of football he’s played and the perspective that comes with it.
Arbuckle and Venables both believe that the combination of Oklahoma and Washington State reps can set Mateer up for a jump in 2026. Venables pointed to the weight that comes with playing quarterback at Oklahoma and suggested Mateer is handling it with a steadier mindset now.
“The gravity of being the quarterback at the University of Oklahoma… I think he’s probably in a more peaceful place when it comes to that,” Venables said. “Just a more comfortable understanding, all the different levels of it.”
Arbuckle put it more directly.
“I don't think you can put a price on expertise and reps played and everything that kind of goes into that.”
The Sooners will get their first look at Mateer’s offseason work when fall camp opens Wednesday, and Arbuckle is eager to see how the quarterback looks as the program begins that next phase.
“I love the experience, I love the reps that have been played and I'm excited to watch him start forming that identity tomorrow,” Arbuckle said. “Couldn’t be more proud of him.”
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