Oklahoma QB John Mateer Confirms Successful Procedure

Sooners quarterback John Mateer underwent surgery on his right hand on Wednesday, and he revealed that the procedure went well.

Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

NORMAN — OU quarterback John Mateer provided Sooner fans with a positive update on Thursday afternoon.

Mateer, a transfer quarterback from Washington State who started the Sooners’ first four games of 2025, posted on X (formerly Twitter) that the surgery on his right hand — performed on Wednesday in Los Angeles — went well.

Thank God for a successful procedure. Dr. Shin is the GOAT. BOOMER SOONER!!

— John Mateer (@John_Mateer4) September 25, 2025

In the post, Mateer said, “Thank God for a successful procedure. Dr. Shin is the GOAT. Boomer Sooner!”

Oklahoma coach Brent Venables announced Mateer’s injury in a release on OU’s athletic website on Tuesday. Venables revealed that Mateer suffered his injury in the first quarter of OU’s 24-17 win over No. 22 Auburn last week.

While Venables said in the statement that he expects Mateer to return to game action in the 2025 season, the coach confirmed that the quarterback will miss the Sooners’ game against Kent State on Oct. 4.

"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.. "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."

Dr. Steven S. Shin was the doctor who conducted Mateer’s surgery, and he has worked on plenty of high-profile athletes. Shin, considered one of the nation’s top hand surgeons, has performed surgeries on Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout, former New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry and Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams.

In his post, Mateer praised Shin’s efforts on Wednesday, calling him the “G.O.A.T” (an acronym for greatest of all-time).

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Prior to his surgery, Mateer had compiled 1,215 passing yards, 11 total touchdowns and 190 rushing yards with three interceptions. He was the frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy, per ESPN BET Sportsbook, with plus-750 odds.

Sophomore quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. will start in place of Mateer for at least one contest. Hawkins started four times as a true freshman in 2024, ending the year with 783 passing yards and 204 rushing yards.

On Wednesday’s weekly SEC teleconference, Venables expressed the optimism he has about Hawkins leading the quarterback room in the meantime.

“A tremendous athlete that also has great arm talent, and he’s hungry and driven and has a great work ethic,” Venables said. “So he’s a better version of himself in really every category from where he was a year ago, like you’d expect. You want that for every player in your roster.”

Oklahoma is 4-0 and climbed to No. 7 in the AP Top 25 after its seven-point win against Auburn.