Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer entered the 2025 season with enormous expectations, but a fractured thumb on his throwing hand brought those hopes crashing down. Now, heading into a new season, Mateer says he is fully healthy and mentally sharper than ever.
Speaking to reporters Monday at Southeastern Conference Media Days in Tampa, Florida, Mateer described the physical toll the injury took on his game and how it forced him to alter the way he gripped the football.
“It was not strong,” Mateer said of the thumb. “And the range of motion, I had to change how I held the ball.”
“In the offseason you put in the work to be prepared, and I had a belief because of the work, and the work it didn’t matter. I don’t want to say it got taken away from me, but physically it wasn’t the same.”
Before the injury, Mateer had been generating Heisman Trophy buzz. That momentum evaporated after he broke his thumb during a September 20 game against Auburn. He finished that contest but later underwent surgery, sitting out while the team had a bye week and a game against Kent State.
Determined to return for the matchup against Texas, Mateer came back just 17 days after surgery — ahead of what doctors had projected. The result was rough. He threw three interceptions in a 23-6 loss, and his performance continued to suffer through late November.
“I’m glad I did it because it showed me that you could fight through a lot, even though I was obviously not 100%,” Mateer said. “It was a very difficult thing to do. I’m glad I did it — even though I failed.”
Mateer had arrived at Oklahoma as a highly anticipated transfer following an outstanding 2024 season at Washington State, where he threw for 3,139 yards and 29 touchdowns with just seven interceptions. He also ran for 826 yards and 15 touchdowns that year.
His numbers with the Sooners were a stark contrast — 2,885 passing yards, 14 touchdown passes, and 11 interceptions, along with 431 rushing yards and eight scores on the ground. Oklahoma finished 10-3, reaching the College Football Playoff before falling to Alabama 34-24 in the first round.
Mateer also acknowledged that off-field distractions played a role in his struggles, admitting he may have been caught up in the spotlight that comes with being the starting quarterback at a major program.
“There’s a lot of personal opportunities here at Oklahoma playing quarterback, and I don’t know if I was thinking too much about those, and then I got to the peak, and God was like, ‘No, that’s not why we’re doing this,’” Mateer said. “So I’ve been trying to scale back on the personal stuff. If it happens, it happens, but the team is what matters. You taste the playoff. That’s what I want. You get it, and they can’t take it away from you. It means so much to so many people.”
Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables shared his confidence that Mateer will look like a different player this year, pointing to improvements both around him and in his physical condition.
“I just think we’re going to be a lot better around him,” Venables said. “And to his point, it’s hard to throw a football consistently or down the field, push it or throw it with the velocity when he can barely squeeze it.”
The Sooners are set to open their regular season at home against UTEP on September 4.
