Redshirt senior quarterback John Mateer expressed confidence in his throwing ability to start spring practice.
Mateer shared his adjustments in the offseason after injuring his right thumb against Auburn in 2025. Mateer averaged 304 passing yards through the first four games of the season. In the first game after injury, former Sooner quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. started in his place before Mateer returned to average 209 passing yards per game for the remainder of the season.
As spring practice begins, Mateer feels proud of his improvements so far.
“My thumb's getting a little healthier, so I can rip the ball better, …” Mateer said. “(I’m) getting back to some more over-the-top stuff instead of that sidearm. That all plays in.”
Head coach Brent Venables has also helped him grow to analyze defenses better. Venables took on the defensive coordinator role in 2025 after last being in the spot in 2012-2021 while at Clemson. He led the Sooners to the No. 7 defense in the nation after ranking No. 29 in 2024, No. 49 in 2023 and No. 99 in 2022 under former defensive coordinators, Zac Alley and Ted Roof.
Mateer expanded on how Venables has helped his development, while the quarterback continues to mature.
“He's obviously really smart and knows a lot about the defense,” Mateer said. “(We’ve worked on) just being able to recognize it quicker. The more you see it … and the more football you watch, if you're more familiar with the things, you can spot it quicker and see the leverage quicker. Being a year older, I see things that I didn't use to see.”
Mateer goes into 2025 with redshirt senior Isaiah Sategna III, redshirt senior Trell Harris and redshirt sophomore Parker Livingstone at wide receiver and redshirt senior tight end Rocky Beers, among others.
Sategna recorded 965 receiving yards for the Sooners in 2025 after playing his three previous seasons at Arkansas, while Livingstone played at Texas last season, where he recorded 516 receiving yards. Harris put up 847 receiving yards in 2025, contributing to 1,604 in his career so far, and Beers finished with 388 yards in the air this past season.
Mateer praised Livingstone and Beers, as he develops connections with them.
“(Beers is) super fast, and he fills the space really nicely, …” Mateer said. “(Livingstone) feels the game really well, fills the space, and he picked up the offense (quickly).”
As Mateer has adjusted his mechanics, learned under Venables and connected with others, he feels more confident than ever.
“With more anticipation and more knowledge of the defense, that's how I phrase it — playing better quarterback,” Mateer said. “I'm way better than I was, and that's how it is every year.”
