John Mateer Makes Big Move for Oklahoma’s Next QB1 as Brent Venables Receives Surprising SEC Verdict

The vibes around Norman just shifted—again. Oklahoma’s got a new QB in town, and he’s already making moves for his own replacement? Yeah, that’s where we’re at. John Mateer just got here from Washington State, where he straight up torched the stat sheet (44 total tuddies). And now, he is already putting in work on the recruiting trail.

The Washington State transfer with a cannon for an arm and ice in his veins just flipped the recruiting script. The Sooners landed him this offseason in what many fans call a diabolical upgrade, no disrespect to Jackson Arnold or Michael Hawkins. Let’s not kid ourselves—Mateer’s tape speaks fluently in touchdowns. 3,139 passing yards, 29 TDs last season, and one of the coldest dual-threat games in the country. But he knows he might be gone after 2025. So what’d he do? He helped recruit his successor.

John Mateer could’ve just focused on himself. New team. New conference. And indomitable pressure. But instead? He’s taking future four-star Bowe Bentley under his wing, trying to help the Sooners lock in the next big thing for 2026.

Mateer posted a flick on Instagram with Bentley during his weekend visit, captioned “Lil Bro Bowe 😂” and “Boomer Sooner.” Bowe Bentley is a special type of talent. He threw for 4,200 yards and 63 touchdowns last year and led Celina, TX, to a 16-0 run and a state chip. 247Sports has him as the No. 7 QB in the country, and there’s not a scout in Texas who hasn’t pulled up to his games with a notebook and a prayer.

Now here’s where it gets juicy. Oklahoma already has a 2026 QB commit—Jaden O’Neal. Four-star. Been locked in since last summer. But suddenly, OU starts moving heavy for Bentley once Ben Arbuckle became OC. Coincidence? Nah. Bentley rescheduled his LSU visit to get to Norman earlier. Meanwhile, O’Neal’s been checking out Arizona and Florida State. Connect the dots. The staff—and Mateer himself—are low-key signaling who they want holding the keys after 2025.

And it’s not just recruiting graphics and hype. Bentley came out firing at the US Navy All-American Bowl in January, proving he’s more than just a stat-sheet monster. The Sooners gave him that final visit before decision time.

Brent Venables receives love from big-time analysts

With all eyes on the QB room and the future of OU football, it’s easy to overlook the man pulling strings behind the curtain. Brent Venables. After a tough 6-7 debut SEC season, he’s taking back defensive play-calling, coaching as if his job depends on it—because it does.

The Sooners’ 2025 season schedule isn’t for softies. In fact, Oklahoma’s strength of schedule is projected at .771—the hardest in the country. But there’s optimism bubbling in Norman, and a lot of that starts with John Mateer. Venables said it best: “He has got tremendous football IQ, and there’s no limits on him mentally or physically.” That’s not coach speak. That’s belief.

New OC Ben Arbuckle is the wild card here. The OC’s known for dialing up aggressive, in-your-face schemes that leave defenses dizzy through aerial and ground attacks. He and Mateer go way back to Wazzu days, where the pair combined for nearly 4,000 total yards and 44 total touchdowns. Now they’re running it back in crimson and cream. And analysts are buying the hype.

Josh Pate is not pulling punches. “I’m putting John Mateer in the top five [SEC QBs],” he said on June 6th. “If I’m right, Oklahoma’s going to be a contender in the SEC.” Pate’s big on the OC-QB chemistry: “Bring both of them in, not just one of them, especially when they’re both qualified. And Arbuckle and Mateer are.”

David Pollack doubled down. His point? Oklahoma doesn’t just have a talented offense—they have a synced-up one. “They already possess each other’s rhythms,” Pollack said, highlighting how rare that advantage is in today’s turnover-heavy college football. Chemistry is hard to build. These two already had it packed in their duffel when they landed.

The scary part? Mateer doesn’t even have to play hero ball. This Oklahoma roster is stacked. Jayden Gibson’s going off in camp. The O-line finally has depth with Michael Fasusi and Ryan Fodje locked in. And the defense, yeah, the same one that got cooked last season, is coming back hungry. Pate wrapped it with this take: “You don’t have to save anybody, you need to go in there and play solid football and execute… That’s why I got Oklahoma top 10 in the preseason.” And that’s the whole vibe this year.

So, let’s bring it back full circle. John Mateer’s out here recruiting his replacement, coaching up the locker room, and gelling with a familiar OC—all before he’s even taken a snap in Norman. Brent Venables is coaching like a man who knows the walls are closing in but who also just reloaded his weapon. And if Bowe Bentley ends up signing that dotted line, we might be looking at the sneakiest QB handoff in college football.