Three Areas Where Oklahoma Quarterback John Mateer Must Improve in 2026

For the Sooners to return to the College Football Playoff in 2026, quarterback John Mateer must clean up a few areas of his game.

Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer practices during the spring. | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

NORMAN — Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer is set up to be more successful in 2026.

Mateer had an up-and-down first season in Norman. He completed 62.2 percent of his passes for 2,885 yards, 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, and his production dipped significantly after he suffered a hand injury against Auburn in Week 4.

Now, Mateer has the benefit of a full SEC season under his belt. Plus, the Sooners added several weapons — like wide receivers Trell Harris and Parker Livingstone and tight ends Hayden Hansen and Rocky Beers — from the transfer portal to make the offense more dynamic.

There’s a path for Mateer to lead OU back to the College Football Playoff and even re-establish himself as one of college football’s best quarterbacks. But to do so, he must clean up a few areas of his game.

Here are three areas in which Mateer can improve in 2026:

Throwing mechanics

Mateer’s hand injury forced him to undergo surgery and miss the Sooners’ game against Kent State on Oct. 4. He returned for OU’s annual Red River Rivalry game against Texas — but he wasn’t the same player upon returning.

In Oklahoma’s final eight games, Mateer completed only 59.4 percent of his passes for 1,670 yards, eight touchdowns and eight interceptions.

As he struggled down the stretch, Mateer often threw sidearmed passes. His throwing style somewhat mimicked those of a baseball shortstop — and the results of those throws varied.

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While Mateer’s low passes allowed him to deliver the ball quicker, it often affected his accuracy on both short and long throws.

Mateer said in March that one of his focuses was to return to an “over-the-top” throwing motion. He also explained that his thumb injury was the root cause of some of his unconventional throws during the second half of the season.

Footwork

In addition to his throwing style, Mateer made dozens of off-balance throws late in the 2026 season.

Mateer faced pressure often from opposing edge rushers, and as a result, he made plenty of heaves off his back foot. The quarterback completed his fair share of those throws, but there were several of them that either missed the intended receiver by several yards or were intercepted.

Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer prepares for a snap against Missouri. | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

Mateer also made several off-balance throws when the pocket was clean, and that likely affected his accuracy, too.

During the spring, OU offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle said that establishing a better “platform” for Mateer was necessary for the quarterback to be more effective.

Deep ball accuracy

Mateer’s throwing motion and footwork go hand in hand with this, but he must also become more accurate on his deep throws.

Per Pro Football Focus (PFF), Mateer completed only 33.3 percent (17-of-51) of his throws longer than 20 yards, and two of those throws were intercepted. He particularly struggled on deep throws to the right side, completing only four of his 20 attempts.

Between speedy wideout Isaiah Sategna — the recipient of most of Mateer’s deep heaves last year — and Harris and Livingstone, the Sooners have the potential to throw deep balls regularly. But Mateer must become more accurate for that to happen.

As mentioned, better throwing mechanics and footwork will almost certainly help Mateer in this area — and that would be monumental for OU’s offense. With a handful of new tight ends and a deep running back room, Oklahoma could have a rather complete offense if Mateer’s deep ball is more reliable.