“Say what you want about Jackson Arnold. Say what you want about Michael Hawkins Jr., John Mateer is an upgrade.” This statement came from On3’s J.D. PicKell about Oklahoma’s new star. Brent Venables went all-in on John Mateer to correct what went wrong in Norman last season after falling 6-7. But the Sooners aren’t exactly staring down an easy path with their tough strength of schedule projected at .771. Still, optimism still runs high because of the Washington State transfer and a hidden upside in their schedule. 

Brent Venables is obviously proud and confident in John Mateer, saying, “He has got tremendous football IQ, and there’s no limits on him mentally or physically.” But there’s another national analyst who even projected OU’s QB to bring the biggest impact in 2025. In a new episode on 247Sports on June 11, Cooper Petagna lauded him as “one of those guys that I think is gonna be one of the most dynamic players in all of college football.” “You think about Mateer, I think he makes this team 2+ points better,” he said. And in a conference like the SEC, two points is the difference between 6-6 and legit contender status.

Aside from the fact that John Mateer threw for 3,139 yards and 29 touchdowns last year, there’s also this continuity factor that’s giving him more confidence. “You add in the fact that he’s bringing his offensive coordinator with him in Ben Arbuckle,” Petagna added. “And then any questions you had about the lack of continuity coming in, with the familiarity look like, how they’d be able to hit the ground running, I think Oklahoma’s in a perfect spot.” Josh Pate even put the QB in his top 5 SEC QBs and called Oklahoma a dark horse if that duo stays hot.

Petagna also gives OU a 9-win ceiling despite a brutal schedule which starts on a relatively easy note. It begins with Illinois State, Michigan, Temple, Auburn, and Kent State. Now, Michigan is the big test especially with Bryce Underwood across the field, the No. 1 overall player in the nation, but there’s real belief OU can start 5-0. It’s because John Mateer’s got weapons in Javonnie Gibson, Isaiah Sategna, Keontez Lewis, and Jaydn Ott. “They start 5-0, which I think is pretty reasonable, they have a pretty good chance to go into that Texas game, that red river rivalry with the opportunity to play Texas in the top-10 matchup,” Petagna noted. And after that rivalry matchup on November 11, there’s a twist. 

Brent Venables has a hidden upside in OU’s second half schedule 

After that potential 5-0 stretch, Brent Venables’ squad faces a nightmare slate against South Carolina, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Alabama, Missouri, and LSU. But here’s the hidden edge: five of those seven teams will be starting first-year QBs. That’s where John Mateer’s battle-tested edge comes into play. He’s already played under pressure, he knows Arbuckle’s system, and he’s surrounded by weapons. 

The difficult stretch starts with the highly anticipated game against Texas led by Heisman favorite Arch Manning, who’s a highly hyped first-year starter. It remains to be seen if he can live up to his last name. Then there’s Ole Miss without Jaxson Dart, Tennessee without Nico Iamaleava, Alabama with a QB dilemma between Ty Simpson and Keelon Russell, and Missouri without Brady Cook. As Petagna weighed in on their schedule, “That is as brutal of a seven-game stretch as you all see in all of college football. So I keep emphasizing that quick start because if you can win three out of the seven after a 5-0 start, then obviously puts you at 8-wins. It would be a huge momentum builder for Brent Venables and his staff.”

So yeah, John Mateer is seasoned, synced with Arbuckle, and not walking into the SEC wide-eyed. And that might just be the edge Brent Venables needs to stay away from building pressure.