How Oklahoma's Passing Attack Can 'Evolve' Over the Summer

The Sooners added a handful of new weapons for quarterback John Mateer, and they are using June and July to build chemistry.

Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer drops back to pass during one of the Sooners' spring practices. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

Most gains are made when a football team gathers for spring practice or fall camp, as everyone is padded up for a traditional practice. 

But there is one area where associate head coach for offense Kevin Wilson believes Oklahoma can make up ground during the summer — the passing game. 

OU brought in a handful of new receivers, headlined by Virginia transfer Trell Harris and former Texas receiver Parker Livingstone. 

Ideally, that duo would have gotten fully in the mix with quarterback John Mateer, but Harris missed all of spring ball and the Sooners were cautious with Livingstone. 

Last spring was the time when Isaiah Sategna really built his bond with Mateer, but the new structure of college football will allow Harris and Livingstone to get on the same page with their new quarterback before fall came. 

“You don't have practice, you don't wear equipment, but as coaches, you can actually get some time with your players (in the summer),” Wilson said on The Oklahoma Breakdown podcast with Gabe Ikard and Teddy Lehman. “And I think that time right now is really going to be critical in our passing game.”

It doesn’t take a full fall practice to vastly improve your passing game, Wilson believes. 

“Summer's not like spring practice, but you can get some timing down because you can still truly throw the ball,” he said. “It's hard to block in the summer, you don't have on pads, but you can run a curl route at the right depth and the right time and you can get your footwork down and your timing down and your ball placement down.”

Harris arrived in Norman after an All-ACC Third Team season at Virginia. 

General manager Jim Nagy believes he will be a perfect fit alongside Sategna, as their skillsets complement each other. 

Livingstone gives Mateer a big-bodied target with SEC experience already under his belt. 

All of the pieces are there for a better passing game in 2026, but that work must continue throughout the summer. 

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“We've got some guys that need to, quote, evolve,” Wilson said. “… It's going to be really key for John, his timing, his confidence and those players' confidence that we have a really solid June. July gets into a little bit what you call player practice where the players are doing it.”

The improvements are not soley down to Mateer and his receivers. 

Wilson loves how Oklahoma’s tight end group is coming along, and he maintains that the offensive line still needs to be better for the Sooners’ air attack to be more efficient and more explosive this fall. 

“One of the keys of our passing game is we've got to continue to be better in protection. Firming up pockets where John has a clean pocket and he can progress,” Wilson said. “…. You can't throw the ball without all 11 guys. You can't run the ball without all 11. It takes a team. We need to be a better team.”