How Oklahoma QB John Mateer’s ‘Maturation’ May Elevate Sooners’ Offense in 2026

NORMAN — OU offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle is entering his fourth season alongside quarterback John Mateer.

Arbuckle and Mateer spent two years together at Washington State before both of them came to Norman ahead of the 2025 season. Those two’s first campaign in Norman had its ups and downs, and they’ll look to spearhead a stronger offense in 2026, which will be Mateer’s final season at the collegiate level.

“(It) doesn’t happen a lot anymore,” Arbuckle said. “I consider myself very fortunate to get to be going into Year 4 with John. Just getting to see that maturation and transformation of him as a leader, as a player and as a young man, that builds a lot of confidence and a lot of trust.”

Though Mateer has developed in plenty of ways, Arbuckle believes one trait about the quarterback has remained the same — his constant desire to improve every day.

Mateer came to Oklahoma after a phenomenal year at Washington State in 2024. He finished that season with 3,130 passing yards, 29 passing touchdowns and seven interceptions and was the No. 1 player in the transfer portal after the year, per 247Sports.

The quarterback’s 2025 season got off to a stellar start, as he led OU to ranked wins over Michigan and Auburn before suffering a hand injury that required surgery. Mateer’s performance wasn’t the same once he returned, as he completed only 59.4 percent of his passes for 1,670 yards, eight touchdowns and eight interceptions over the Sooners’ final eight contests.

There were plenty of memorable moments for Mateer in 2025. But the season simply wasn’t good enough for him.

And because of that, Mateer leaned on those who are older and wiser than him within Oklahoma’s facilities.

“Whenever he self reflects and sits there and says, ‘Where can I get better?’ I watch him attack it head on,” Arbuckle said. “Whether it’s meetings with Sam Bradford or Coach (Brent) Venables, he’s always up at the building. He’ll pop in with every single position coach, just trying to gain a deeper understanding of their room, how their room operates. He’s constantly looking for that knowledge.”

Mateer has always carried that growth mindset. But now he has the benefit of four years under his belt.

Arbuckle and Venables both believe that Mateer’s experience — at both Oklahoma and Washington State — will allow him to take a major step forward in 2026.

“The gravity of being the quarterback at the University of Oklahoma… I think he’s probably in a more peaceful place when it comes to that,” Venables said. “Just a more comfortable understanding, all the different levels of it.”

Arbuckle said, “I don't think you can put a price on expertise and reps played and everything that kind of goes into that.”

Mateer and his teammates will get their first chance of the fall to showcase their offseason dedication on Wednesday, when the Sooners kick off fall camp.

And Arbuckle has high expectations for his redshirt senior quarterback.

“I love the experience, I love the reps that have been played and I'm excited to watch him start forming that identity tomorrow,” Arbuckle said. “Couldn’t be more proud of him.”

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