NORMAN — John Mateer’s second season as Oklahoma’s starting quarterback will officially begin in two weeks.

And Mateer, who transferred to OU from Washington State prior to the 2025 season, is essentially counting down the minutes until the Sooners’ opener against UTEP on Friday, Sept. 4.

“Pretty excited — I can’t even articulate it,” Mateer said. “I’m ready to go. I’m ready for this thing to be sold out again.”

Mateer’s first season at OU had plenty of ups and downs.

The 6-foot-1, 224-pound quarterback led the Sooners to a 4-0 start with ranked wins over Michigan and Auburn. Over the first four games, he compiled 1,215 passing yards and 11 total touchdowns.

Mateer’s production, however, dipped after he suffered a hand injury — that required surgery — during the Auburn game. He only missed one game as a result, but Mateer completed only 59.4 percent of his passes for 1,670 yards, eight touchdowns and eight interceptions over OU’s final eight contests.

Heading into his final college football season, Mateer is confident that his dedication throughout spring ball and fall camp will allow him to be more consistent in 2026.

“I’ve progressed as the camp went on, made some mistakes, of course, but I’ve done it aggressively,” Mateer said. “I think I’m learning from it.”

The 2026 offseason marks Mateer’s second in Norman. 

While the quarterback called his first fall camp “fun,” he admitted to being more comfortable as he heads into the 2026 season. He’s spent the last several months strengthening his relationships with his teammates from last year while also building connections with the team’s newcomers.

“There are a lot of guys that I know, and I’ve seen them grow,” Mateer said. “That means a lot to me, and we grow together. And I’m better than I was a year ago, so that makes me feel good. And they make me look good, so it’s like, ‘Woah, we’re in a great spot here.’”

Specifically, Mateer knows that he must be in tune with his wide receivers for the offense to improve in 2026.

The Sooners retained Isaiah Sategna — their leading wideout from last year — after the 2025 season, and they added Parker Livingstone, Trell Harris and Mackenzie Alleyne to the roster from the transfer portal. There are also several other returners who could take valuable roles in 2026, including Jer’Michael Carter, Elijah Thomas and Manny Choice.

Mateer said that it’s been easy for him to develop chemistry with his wide receivers, thanks to the group’s “love for each other.”

“The relationship off the field matters a lot because you get to know them, you gain the trust in who they are as people,” Mateer said. “I think that’s super important for everybody. You go on the field, and say you have a miscommunication… it’s not like there’s no hope. You want to succeed for the team, for the greater good.”

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