It took Sherrone Moore one recruiting move to be the talk of the town. For both good and bad reasons, of course. The Michigan Wolverines paid $12 million NIL to flip the No.1 quarterback recruit, Bryce Underwood, from the LSU Tigers. Even after that, their 2025 run was a dud. 

As Crain & Company co-host David Cone shared, “Michigan spent what, 12 million on just one quarterback, and they can’t crack into the top 10? That’s why I’m not buying any of this.” While it has been a dream for many to secure Underwood’s 7-figure NIL check, the dream is going to come true for one. After all, this quarterback has picked up enough buzz giving college football executives major FOMO. The player who has turned the heads of the college football programs is none other than John Mateer.  

As the 2025 season is yet to unfold, it’s important to learn about where the quarterbacks are standing. On the 7th August episode of the Cover 3 Podcast, Bud Elliot came up with a segment- ‘Who is everybody envious of? Who’s everybody feeling a little jealous, after the transfer portal?’ As they explored offense, the first player they named was Auburn’s wide receiver Eric Singleton Jr. Elliot then shared, “Number two answer on offense, John Mateer. They don’t seem to have a lot of concerns that a lot of his production came against essentially like Mountain West teams last year, and he wasn’t great against the P4 teams. They seem to like him a whole lot.”

Since December, when Brent Venables landed him from the transfer portal, Mateer has been getting major Heisman buzz. He led FBS in total touchdowns last year with the Cougars, throwing for 29 scores. Last season itself, he came up with 3,139 yards. However, as Elliot mentioned, underconfidence loomed large for Mateer. The reason? Being unproven. As on That SEC Football podcast, George Stoia shared, “Let’s be real. He was at Washington State; he didn’t play the competition he’s going to play in the SEC now.” Later on, RJ Young, too, joined the Team Mateer Doubters. 

He said, “A lot of people are comparing John Mateer to Baker Mayfield, which is okay, cool, I get it. He’s a better runner than Baker Mayfield was, but I don’t know that he’s a better passer.” Then what makes the analysts put Venables on the list of whom teams are envious of? In this case, Chris Doering comes to our help. The former second-team All-American and Florida player dug through some old tapes of Mateer. He came up with some interesting observations after going through the one between Washington State and Utah State. 

“Everybody knows he[Mateer] can run the football. So, what do defenses have to do? They have to play vision coverage. Look at all those guys playing zone with their eyes on the quarterback. The defensive end is not letting him get outside. John Mateer does a great job in scrambling to throw, keeping his eyes down the field,” noted Doering. The Florida legend believes that Mateer is going to be the SEC Player of the Year, and at the same time, lift the Heisman. Here comes another big projection about the Oklahoma quarterback in the NIL front.   

John Mateer is taking steady strides in the NIL race

On August 7, Pete Nakos came up with some updates on NIL rumblings. He reported, “+ A source confirmed to On3 that Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer’s deal will be between $2.5 $3 million.” So, he is gradually catching up with Michigan quarterback Underwood, who is going to make between $10 to $12 million. Already, Venables’ Oklahoma was a big financial breakthrough for the quarterback.  

When he transferred from Washington State, Mateer had signed an NIL deal worth $3 million. The fact that Venables and co. are estimated to be spending $14.8 million in NIL funds this year, they might dish out a fatter check to keep Mateer locked in. Now more than before, after Elliot brought to attention how other programs are envious. And the fans definitely won’t mind their team splurging on Mateer, who has passed with good distinction in one of the Sooners’ insider metrics.

On the June 21 episode of the Cover 3 Podcast, Josh Callaway shared, “I mean, so far A+ for John Mateer in particular. Ben Arbuckle, too. But John Mateer, in particular, he’s got the fan base fired up.” He is counting high on the Arbuckle-Mateer chemistry. After all, the duo led the WSU offense, ranked sixth in points scored per game in 2024 (36.6) and 17th in total yards per game (442.8). Callaway noted, “The way he’s kind of commanding the room and the fact that he knows Arbuckle’s offense, he’s helping teach it, is definitely helpful. Kind of reminds me of when Dillon Gabriel and Jeff Lebby came aboard was the same kind of thing.” Does that mean that Mateer will help the Sooners to finally get over the Jackson Arnold trauma?