If there was any doubt about who should run Oklahoma Sooners’ offense this fall, John Mateer erased it with one of those program-shaping performances against Michigan. The junior QB1 logged 344 total yards and 3 touchdowns, slicing through the Wolverines’ defense with poise and bite. His 74 rushing yards, two of them ending in the end zone, showed why Brent Venables is willing to lean on him in just about any way possible. Mateer didn’t just win a football game. He cemented the job and got a special award for his stellar play. So where does it leave QB2?

That’s where Brent Venables pulled back the curtain this week. The Sooners’ head coach confirmed what many had been speculating. The plan for Michael Hawkins Jr. is to preserve his redshirt year, if they can. The sophomore backup hasn’t logged a single snap through Oklahoma’s first two games, including in the breezy 35–3 win over Illinois State. Under NCAA rules, Hawkins can appear in four contests and still hold onto that year of eligibility. Venables made it clear that balance between preparing him for the present, while protecting his long-term future is the guiding principle.

“You’d like to think that you could control that and we certainly could, but we might pigeon-hole ourselves, too,” Venables said. “So we’re preparing him every single week like he’s a guy that’s got to go in and take 70 or 80 snaps. Until our hand is forced. We’re not at any liberty to, ‘Let’s just get him in for a few snaps here.’ I’m trying to think both short-term and long-term. We’d hate to burn his year unnecessarily, so I think that the course of the season will kind of work itself out, but we’re going to be very mindful of not burning his year before we have to.” That’s coach-speak for patience, but it also underscores how valuable Hawkins could become down the road.

The irony here is that Hawkins Jr. already had a year slip through his fingers. Last season, he opened as Jackson Arnold’s backup but was forced into action when Arnold faltered and injuries piled up. Hawkins played against Tennessee in Week 4, then started three straight games before being benched. By the time Arnold reclaimed the job, Hawkins had already appeared in five contests, one past the redshirt limit. It was a crash course in learning on the fly, but it left him without the developmental cushion Brent Venables wanted.

That’s why this year’s plan feels almost like a do-over. OU wants to keep Hawkins sharp, have him ready to step in if disaster strikes, but not waste another year on scattered snaps. The staff has been down this road before. In 2023, the Sooners had similar intentions with Arnold behind Dillon Gabriel. But when Gabriel went down against BYU with a concussion, Arnold’s fifth appearance was unavoidable, burning his redshirt in the process. Brent Venables knows how quickly plans unravel in a QB room, and his comments reflected that cautious awareness.

This week’s matchup against Temple and the Week 6 game with Kent State might give Hawkins a chance to see the field, but only if the staff believes the snaps carry weight. For now, it’s John Mateer’s show, and with him bagging awards left and right and carving up defenses, there’s little urgency to turn the page.

John Mateer is leaving no option for Brent Venables, but to play him

John Mateer won over just about every awards committee in CFB after his Week 2 performance. The redshirt junior was named the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award National Player of the Week after his all-around performance against the Wolverines. That honor came on the heels of being tabbed SEC Offensive Player of the Week and Senior Bowl Player of the Week. Not a bad three-day stretch for a guy still settling into the spotlight.

Mateer accounted for 270 yards through the air on 21-of-34 passing and a score. But what separated him was the punishment he absorbed and dished out as a runner. He carried the ball 19 times, piling up 74 yards and touchdowns of 2 and 10 yards, leading the Sooners in both carries and grit. Through two games, he’s already logged 26 carries for 98 yards and three TDs, showing that his running isn’t just a wrinkle. It’s a weapon.

“He’s a real weapon running the ball,” Brent Venables said. “… Has really good instincts as a runner.” At the same time, his head coach is mindful of the toll. “He’s got to do a good job of not taking too many shots. He’s built strong and is really compact so he can absorb some big hits. It’s a real weapon.” Venables made it clear Mateer won’t be asked to shoulder that much every week, but in heavyweight showdowns like Michigan, his legs are a difference-maker.