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John Mateer Injury: Oklahoma Provides Official Status Update Before Red River Rivalry
Oklahoma's star quarterback John Mateer underwent a successful procedure on his hand two weeks ago and it appears he may be ready to return sooner than expected.
On Tuesday, ESPN's Pete Thamel reported the Washington State transfer was pushing to return this week ahead of the Sooners' clash with Texas in the Red River Rivalry. A day later, Mateer was officially listed as questionable in Oklahoma's initial SEC availability report, as shared by ESPN's Max Olson.
Oklahoma QB John Mateer is listed as questionable in the initial SEC availability report pic.twitter.com/lLsUKcnmSz
— Max Olson (@max_olson) October 9, 2025
It's a positive sign for the Sooners that they were able to list him as questionable as opposed to doubtful or out. If he's not able to go against Texas, his return remains likely on the near horizon.
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It would be an incredible turnaround for the early Heisman frontrunner who had to have surgery on his throwing hand to repair a broken bone. Thamel reported that Mateer reacted well to the procedure and if he is able to return against Texas, he would have only missed one game as the Sooners had an off week between his last appearance vs. Auburn on Sept. 20 and their shutout win over Kent State last week.
In four games this season, Mateer has thrown for 1,215 yards and completed 67.4% of his passes for six touchdowns to three interceptions. He's added five more scores on the ground with 190 yards on 43 carries. If he's not available for Saturday's game against Texas, his next opportunity to return comes Oct. 18 at South Carolina.
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Blake Silverman is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, he covered the WNBA, NBA, G League and college basketball for numerous sites, including Winsidr, SB Nation's Detroit Bad Boys and A10Talk. He graduated from Michigan State University before receiving a master's in sports journalism from St. Bonaventure University. Outside of work, he's probably binging the latest Netflix documentary, at a yoga studio or enjoying everything Detroit sports. A lifelong Michigander, he lives in suburban Detroit with his wife, young son and their personal petting zoo of two cats and a dog.