Fans will see something different about John Mateer’s game next season, and it should be a massive improvement for him moving forward
John Mateer has put in the work to overhaul his mechanics, and it should mean a world of difference ahead.
Over the course of the offseason, Oklahoma Sooners quarterback John Mateer has dominated discussion among fans for his play. Mateer is the ceiling and floor for the Sooners’ College Football Playoff hopes in the upcoming 2026 season. Another season like 2025, and the Sooners’ chances are fairly flimsy. An improvement, however…the sky is the limit.
Perhaps the most intriguing sign of the offseason in favor of Mateer’s development is his new found mechanics that were on display at the Sooners’ Pro Day a couple of weeks ago. Those mechanics have been a point of emphasis for both Mateer and Oklahoma’s coaching staff, and they could be the difference in his play for next season.
Mateer’s Mechanics Makes All the Difference
Mateer has made his hay day as a sidearm thrower. You can constantly see his baseball background on display as every throw he makes is from a side angle.
However, over the course of the offseason, Oklahoma offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and quarterbacks coach John Kuceyeski have made it a point of emphasis to take Mateer off of the side angle for more of an over-the-top motion.
“After that season there were a lot of hard lessons learned, and that first month and a half was a lot of cut‑ups of basically everything he did wrong…The biggest thing has been his foundation, his platform, throwing from a great platform, having consistency in his drops and his pocket movements….Everything is gradual. If we can just start to get the arm angle higher more consistently, that’s going to be great.”
Kuceyeski remarked that the change in Mateer’s mechanics won’t happen overnight, simply due to it being more natural to Mateer. In Kuceyeski’s own words, it’s been “It’s been drilled into him for 21 years of his life.” If it’s so natural for Mateer, why change it? If he’s already struggling to find a rhythm as a passer, why make him unlearn this ahead of a must-win season for everyone involved? The answer? It will clean up a lot of Mateer’s problems for the future.
Why the change for Mateer?
I spoke to a former coach who has worked in high school, college football, and the NFL about these mechanics and why this is such a critical adjustment for Mateer to make.
“The more over the top, the easier it is to drive throws and get up and down at the second/third level. Its very hard to throw with touch from a side arm motion unless you are Philip Rivers who was still much more 3/4 motion. It’s significantly easier to throw with consistency when you’re going over the top, and it’s easier to adjust your arm angles from that point instead of adjusting from a primary sidearm motion. Additionally, this motion and further adjustments to his platform, will make him more grounded as a passer. This adjustment, if he handles it well, should be an overall improvement in his ability to throw with touch and accuracy consistently, and because it relies on different muscles and has better physics behind it, should even help him throw with more velocity. I’m willing to bet his thumb injury last year wouldn’t have been such a problem if he was able to grip it better with an over the top or even 3/4 motion instead of the sidearm.”
Developing touch and improving his accuracy are two key parts for Mateer’s game to grow next season. Far too often, plays were left on the field because of these two key areas of his game. The coaching staff coaxing out a Mateer who is more accurate on even just two or three passes a game would make a huge difference. If he’s unlocked touch and can hit some of those throws he had trouble hitting over defenders, that opens up their playbook and ways to attack defenses significantly more as well.
With Brent Venables taking Mateer under his wing to teach him defenses and the offensive masterminds on staff overhauling his mechanics, Mateer is heading into the offseason ahead of where he was at this point last season. All Mateer needs to be is just a smidgen better (or more consistent) than he was last season, and Oklahoma’s offense will be in a much better place than they have been in years. Any improvements beyond just that level, and we can start talking about them as SEC contenders.
However, all development is theoretical until proven, and I’m sure that fans will be skeptical until proven otherwise. That’s a fair stance after the recent fizzles and disappointments under center. If you’re looking for any glimpses of hope, I would say it’s very, very encouraging that Mateer is attacking this with gusto and has already shown signs of improvement in just a few months of work after the season. If he continues this rate of growth over the offseason, I have to say I’m intrigued by what he could look like by the time the Sooners kick off their season.
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