Oklahoma’s Quarterback Room: Stability Now, Star Power on the Horizon
The Oklahoma Sooners took a step forward offensively in 2025. It wasn’t perfect, but it was good enough to punch a ticket to the College Football Playoff. Now, with 2026 on the horizon, the Sooners know that if they want to make another run-and this time, do more than just show up-they’ll need more consistency and firepower from the most important position on the field: quarterback.
Let’s be clear-football is the ultimate team game. But when it comes to offensive production, the quarterback is the engine. And for Oklahoma in 2025, that engine sputtered and surged depending on the health and rhythm of John Mateer.
The John Mateer Rollercoaster
Mateer’s season was a tale of three acts. Early on, he looked sharp-especially in big wins over Michigan and Auburn, where he averaged 270.5 passing yards and gave the Sooners the kind of balance that wins in the SEC. But a thumb injury suffered in that Auburn game threw everything off.
Mateer had surgery and returned less than three weeks later to face Texas in the Red River Rivalry. It was a gutsy move, but the numbers show he wasn’t quite himself.
From that Texas game through the matchup with Missouri, he averaged just 174.2 yards per game, with four touchdowns and four interceptions. His yards per attempt dropped from 8.6 in the first four games to 5.9 in that six-game stretch.
The zip was missing, the downfield aggression wasn’t there, and his accuracy wavered.
But then came the finish.
In Oklahoma’s final two games-against LSU and Alabama-Mateer looked much closer to the guy we saw in September. He averaged 312.5 passing yards per game and bumped his yards per attempt back up to 7.9. The touchdown-to-interception ratio didn’t improve (still four and four), but the eye test and the numbers showed a quarterback regaining confidence and rhythm.
Zoom out, and Mateer’s 2025 season lands right at the FBS average in yards per attempt (7.3). But if you remove that six-game stretch post-injury, he jumps to 8.4 yards per attempt-good enough to tie for 20th in the nation. That’s a big difference and a strong indicator of what Oklahoma could get if Mateer is healthy and locked in from the jump in 2026.
He wasn’t perfect in his first SEC campaign, but he showed enough-arm talent, leadership, toughness-to believe that another leap is possible this offseason.
Depth and Development Behind Mateer
Behind Mateer, Oklahoma has a quietly solid situation. Whitt Newbauer is the immediate backup.
He transferred in from FCS Mercer last offseason and brings experience, if not extensive game reps. In 2025, he saw action in three games, completing two of four passes for six yards and rushing three times for 10 yards.
Not flashy, but his presence gave the Sooners the flexibility to redshirt highly touted freshman Michael Hawkins Jr., who has since transferred to West Virginia.
The staff will likely take a similar approach with four-star freshman Bowe Bentley. He’s the future, no question about it.
The Sooners beat out LSU to land him, and he’s already made an impression with his consistency and presence around the program. A Texas native from Celina High, Bentley led his team to a perfect season and a state title in 2024.
He played through an arm injury during the 2025 playoffs, where Celina narrowly lost to eventual champion Stephenville.
“He’s a winner. He’s never lost a game,” said head coach Brent Venables during the early signing period.
Bentley’s been around the team weekly, soaking it all in, and that kind of early integration matters. Still, the plan will likely be to redshirt him if possible-preserving a year of eligibility while letting him develop behind the scenes.
Also in the mix is Jett Niu, who redshirted in 2025. He was a late flip from Oklahoma State after offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle came on board and is a developmental piece with intriguing upside.
What It All Means for 2026
This is what you want if you’re Oklahoma: a returning starter with upside, a steady veteran backup, a blue-chip freshman learning the ropes, and a redshirt freshman with a full year in the system. It’s not just depth-it’s structured depth. And that gives the Sooners options.
But make no mistake-this offense will go as far as John Mateer takes it. If he can stay healthy and build on how he finished 2025, Oklahoma’s offense has the potential to be one of the most balanced and explosive in the country. That’s what it’ll take to not only get back to the playoff, but to make noise once they’re there.
Quarterback Pre-Spring Depth Chart
**1.
John Mateer** - Returning starter, looking to take the next step
**2.
Whitt Newbauer** - Veteran backup with game experience
**3.
Bowe Bentley** - Talented freshman, likely redshirt candidate
**4.
Jett Niu** - Redshirt freshman with developmental potential
The Sooners have the pieces. Now it’s about putting it all together.