John Mateer has spent some of his offseason going the extra mile for his injured teammates by doing what you don't see often
John Mateer is the ultimate teammate. It's so clear already, before he's even played a snap for the Oklahoma Sooners, that they made the right decision to go and get him in the transfer portal. And, it's certainly an add-on that he is pretty good at football, too — some even have picked him to […]
John Mateer is the ultimate teammate. It's so clear already, before he's even played a snap for the Oklahoma Sooners, that they made the right decision to go and get him in the transfer portal.
And, it's certainly an add-on that he is pretty good at football, too — some even have picked him to win the Heisman this season. But the on-field stuff is not why we are here. In 2025, we will see a ton of stuff that we didn't see last year, specifically from the quarterback position.
What we have seen, well, not actually with our eyes, but have heard, per se, about Mateer this offseason, is that he is just a great teammate.
John Mateer is doing everything right off the field
He's taking his offensive line to dinner, helping his teammates by letting them stay with him. And, get this, he's even been cooking for the two Gibson receivers as they have dealt with their injuries.
"I think it's important to, because you can't do stuff with them on the field, so you do stuff with them off the field," Mateer said regarding his chemistry with Jovannie and Jayden Gibson. "And, I think that's the same for everyone. I think being there for them, because they didn't expect it to happen. It sucks. Jovannie got to stay at my house a little bit right when it happened.
"That's been one of the best things that's happened to me all year. I love being around him. I love being able to serve, you know, cook for him, and help him, like, that really brought me a lot of joy, made our relationship grow stronger. They've been around and they're helping, like they're a presence, hyping everybody up. They're still really involved, and I applaud them for that because it's not easy. But, I'm so proud of them and their progressions they have made."
The Sooners value the person just as much, if not more, than the type of player they are getting. That is part of the culture that head coach Brent Venables has built in Norman. Sure, he's had two losing seasons out of three total seasons, so the initial thought can be "how is there a culture," or, "if there is one, it must be bad."
But that's just not true. The Sooners have had some of the more unfortunate things happen to them over the years. 2025 could be a huge year for them — they could shock the world. And, if they do, it will be because of the foundation and culture built on chemistry, with guys like Mateer steering the ship.
