John Mateer will be one of the faces of Oklahoma football in Tampa next week.
The SEC announced Tuesday that the Sooners’ group for Media Days will include coach Brent Venables, quarterback John Mateer, defensive end Taylor Wein and offensive lineman Eddy Pierre-Louis. Oklahoma is scheduled for the opening day of the event, which runs Monday, July 20 through Thursday, July 23 at the Tampa Marriott Water Street and JW Marriott.
Mateer and Wein were the easy calls. Both are expected to be among OU’s top players, and their resumes back that up.
Mateer started 12 games last season and completed 62% of his passes for 2,885 yards, 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Wein earned All-SEC Second Team honors after starting eight games, finishing with 39 tackles, a team-high 15 tackles for loss and seven sacks.
Pierre-Louis is the name that stands out a little more. The Tampa native appeared in all 13 games last season and made six starts at left guard, and Venables clearly sees more coming from him this fall.
“I've been disciplined a lot more, worrying about the right things and stuff like that," Pierre-Louis said this past spring. "Having a consistent basis, coach Bedenbaugh overemphasizes, you don’t have to be all the way up here each and every day, but you have to continuously make small, good improvements each and every day, and that’s been the main thing."
Oklahoma will be joined Monday by Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee. The Sooners are set to follow SEC commissioner Greg Sankey and Missouri on Monday morning, and all four days of Media Days will air on SEC Network.
Last year, OU sent Mateer, Robert Spears-Jennings and R Mason Thomas to the event in Atlanta.
The Sooners open the season at 7 p.m. on Sept. 4 against UTEP at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Oklahoma is coming off a College Football Playoff appearance.
In Other News...
Sooners Commit Cooper Hackett Is Suddenly At Center Of Recruiting Divide
Cooper Hacketts name is suddenly sitting at the center of a recruiting split, and for Oklahoma that makes him one of the more interesting commits in the 2027 class. Rivals kept the Fort Gibson offensive tackle in five-star territory, slotting him among the elite prospects in the country, while other services have taken a more cautious view as the offseason unfolds. For the Sooners, it is the kind of evaluation debate that can follow a high-upside lineman when the tape is still being weighed against long-term projection.
The tension around Hackett comes from how much his current standing is tied to what evaluators think he can become once he is fully healthy again. His talent and potential remain highly regarded, but the injury news has clearly influenced where he lands in the rankings conversation, and that leaves Oklahoma with a commitment whose ceiling is obvious even if the present-day picture is less settled. For a program building its future up front, the disagreement only adds to the intrigue. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahomas SEC Media Day Group Includes One Choice Fans Will Notice
Oklahomas trip to SEC Media Day on July 20 in Tampa will feature the kind of mix that usually tells you a little something about where a program thinks it is headed. Brent Venables will be joined by quarterback John Mateer, defensive end Taylor Wein and offensive lineman Eddy Pierre-Louis, giving the Sooners a four-man group that blends the face of the program with a few players who have helped shape the rosters next layer.
Mateer has already been through this stage before, but Wein and Pierre-Louis are set for their first appearances, which adds a fresh angle to Oklahomas day in front of the league. The Sooners have plenty to talk about after recent performances from those players and with the new season approaching, and the media session should offer another snapshot of how Venables wants his team presented as it settles deeper into SEC life. [Read more 🡒]
Jim Nagy Is Already Shaping Big Decisions At Oklahoma
Jim Nagys arrival as Oklahomas general manager has already given the Sooners a different kind of voice in the room, one shaped by years of NFL scouting and personnel work. After 17 seasons evaluating talent for pro teams and a run as executive director of the Senior Bowl from 2018 to 2025, Nagy brings a perspective the program can lean on as players sort through the next steps in their careers.
That kind of guidance matters most when a decision is not just about the draft, but about timing, development and fit. Wide receiver Isaiah Sategna is among the players who have already benefited from those conversations, and Oklahoma appears to be getting the kind of front-office help that can influence both the roster in the short term and the programs long-term NFL pipeline. [Read more 🡒]