With today’s day and age of the transfer portal, there’s a lot of movement every single offseason, and this wave of transfers could produce not only the next great QB to transfer into the SEC, but the next great QB to come out of the University of Oklahoma.
Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer will take over as the Sooners’ starter after transferring into the program following Jackson Arnold’s departure to Auburn via the transfer portal, and he has the chance to become that next great QB for Oklahoma. Paul Finebaum was asked about Mateer on “The Paul Finebaum Show” on SEC Network and he spoke very highly of the new Sooners QB.
“I think John Mateer is going to fit in very well,” Finebaum said. “This is based on people who have seen him perform out there, and those who know the Sooners’ depth chart. I really like what I see.”
The redshirt junior signal-caller transferred to the Sooners after three seasons at Washington State. As a redshirt freshman in 2023, he served as the backup to future 2024 No. 1 overall pick Cameron Ward, completing 13 of 17 passes (76.5% CMP) for 235 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception.
Following Ward’s transfer down south to the Miami Hurricanes, Mateer was named the Cougars’ starting quarterback ahead of the 2024 season. He went on to have a spectacular season, throwing for 3,139 yards, 29 touchdowns, and just seven interceptions, posting a strong 70.9 QBR. After a coaching change at Washington State, Mateer entered his name in the transfer portal and ultimately chose to commit to head coach Brent Venables and Oklahoma. Now, he will look to build off that strong season he had with Washington State and carry his momentum over to a Sooners program that needs a spark heading into their second season as members of the SEC.
He will join a loaded group of notable quarterbacks in the SEC, which features:
LaNorris Sellers-South Carolina
Arch Manning-Texas
DJ Lagway-Florida
Garrett Nussmeier-LSU
Diego Pavia-Vanderbilt
Marcel Reed-Texas A&M
Taylen Green-Arkansas
Jackson Arnold-Auburn
Gunner Stockton-Georgia