Oklahoma Sooners QB John Mateer is successfully doing in fall camp what he was criticized for in 2025
The Oklahoma Sooners will need John Mateer at his best in 2026, because the offense is riding on him.
The Oklahoma Sooners got a glimpse of quarterback John Mateer at fall camp doing something that became a recurring concern last season. Mateer was seen jumping on a throw during practice, the same habit that plagued him throughout 2025 and left fans scratching their heads on multiple occasions.
The play itself looked good, but it raises the question of whether the Sooners’ signal-caller has truly cleaned up the issues that held him and the offense back. Mateer had a rough 2025 season for several reasons. The hand injury certainly played a role, but it wasn’t the whole story. A lot of his struggles came from his footwork, his throwing mechanics, and the mental side of the game. Learning to read SEC defenses proved difficult, and too often, Mateer made throws harder than they needed to be.
Fans will remember the plays. Mateer would jump when he didn’t need to, turning a simple throw into something unnecessarily complicated. There were a handful of those moments scattered throughout the year, the kind that made you wonder why he was making it so difficult on himself.
The fall camp throw looked good, but should it be the norm?
The Sooners’ official account posted a video with the caption “Air Mateer,” and the play was impressive. Mateer scrambled away from pressure to his left with solid footwork, threw across his body with his right arm, and hit the receiver perfectly. It looked great.
But is that something Oklahoma wants Mateer doing regularly in 2026? Not really. The coaching staff would prefer he keep it simple and take the easy throw. If he can make that play every single time, sure, go ahead. The reality is this offense was among the worst in the SEC last season. The Sooners ranked 13th in rushing yards per game, and the passing game wasn’t much better. Consistency has to be the priority on that side of the ball.
The stakes for Mateer’s 2026 season couldn’t be higher
Mateer went from a guy many people had pegged as a potential Heisman candidate to someone nobody is talking about entering 2026. This is it for him. There’s no more runway after this season. He has to enter the 2026 NFL Draft, and a strong year could get him drafted pretty high. If not, he’s likely looking at a career as a backup or bouncing from practice squad to practice squad.
What fans want to see from Mateer isn’t the highlight-reel jump throws. They want consistency in the little things. A good offense capable of running well and looking like a well-oiled machine. Mateer should be able to deliver that because he did it before at Washington State. The challenge now is doing it in the SEC.
If cleaning up his mechanics and footwork is what Mateer has been working on at fall camp, that’s great. The jump throw making its way into a highlight video isn’t necessarily cause for concern, but it’s a reminder that the line between playmaking and recklessness was thin for him last year. The Sooners need the version of Mateer who makes the right throw, not the hard one.
