Oklahoma Announces QB John Mateer Will Undergo Surgery and Miss Next Game

The Sooners announced that quarterback John Mateer will undergo surgery to address a right-hand injury that he sustained against Auburn.

Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer | BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer will undergo surgery on his right hand, coach Brent Venables announced Tuesday.

Venables also expects Mateer to return to game action this season.

"After consulting with medical experts, it became clear that surgery is the best option for John and his short- and long-term future," Venables said in a statement. "He's extremely disappointed he will miss some game action but is eager to correct the issue and move forward. As he is with everything, we know he will be aggressive with his rehabilitation and work to return to the field as quickly as possible."

Fairly positive that this is the play where #Sooners QB John Mateer suffered his hand injury against Auburn.

You can see Mateer's hand collide with Tigers DE Keldric Faulk on the follow-through of his downfield throw.@SoonersOnSI pic.twitter.com/OtvHz4RHSv

— Carson Field (@CarsonDField) September 23, 2025

Per the report on the University of Oklahoma’s athletic website, Mateer suffered the injury in the first quarter of the Sooners’ 24-17 win against No. 22 Auburn on Saturday. Mateer played the entire game, finishing with 271 passing yards and two total touchdowns.

ESPN college football senior writer Pete Thamel reported that the “estimated timeline after surgery is expected to be about a month.”

Sources: John Mateer’s injury is a broken bone in his right (throwing) hand that he suffered in the first quarter against Auburn on Saturday night. The estimated timeline after surgery is expected to be about a month, as the surgery is considered straight-forward. pic.twitter.com/cB9dmYNXmV

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) September 23, 2025

Mateer compiled 1,215 passing yards, 190 rushing yards, 11 total touchdowns and three interceptions in his first four games as OU’s starting signal caller. He was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in Week 2 against Michigan, when he logged 270 passing yards, 74 rushing yards, three total touchdowns and an interception.

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Mateer transferred to OU ahead of the 2025 season from Washington State. As the Cougars' starting signal caller in 2024, Mateer threw for 3,139 yards, 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Oklahoma has its first bye this week before the Sooners take on Kent State on Saturday, Oct. 4.

Venables said that sophomore Michael Hawkins Jr. will start in Mateer's place against the Golden Flashes. Hawkins has appeared in only one game for the Sooners this year, appearing in the second half of OU’s win at Temple in Week 3.

Hawkins appeared in seven games last year, making four starts. 

He started in OU’s 27-21 road win over Auburn. 

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Hawkins also got the start in the Sooners’ 34-3 loss to Texas before making his final regular-season start against South Carolina. 

Oklahoma lost that contest 35-9, and Hawkins was replaced with Jackson Arnold. 

Hawkins did return to the starting lineup for the Armed Forces Bowl, but the Sooners lost to Navy 21-20.

Following the matchup with Kent State, Oklahoma will battle No. 10 Texas in the Cotton Bowl.

The Sooners will then head to take on South Carolina on Oct. 18, and OU will return home to square off with No. 13 Ole Miss on Oct. 25.

Oklahoma climbed to No. 7 in the AP Top 25 after defeating Auburn in its SEC opener. OU is the third-highest-ranked team in the conference behind LSU (No. 4) and Georgia (5). The Sooners are currently ranked ahead of Texas A&M (9), Texas (10), Ole Miss (13), Tennessee (15), Alabama (17), Vanderbilt (18) and Missouri (20).

The Sooners are 4-0 following the Auburn win and victories over Illinois State, Michigan and Temple in their first three games.