The journey of Oklahoma QB John Mateer has been full of ups and downs. After a promising start to his 2025 campaign, his thumb injury forced him to miss game time. But even when he made a comeback, Mateer didn’t look right. Months after the Sooners’ exit to Alabama in the CFP, Brent Venables’ QB1 opened up about what went on behind the scenes during a difficult season.

“I have no regrets about the challenge I put myself through. Obviously, it didn’t work out. Like, it suc-ed. We all watched it. I’m not saying that. But it’s just the result. I learned a lot, and you learn that you can adapt, and then in the offseason, go back,” Mateer said in his interview with On3.

During a game against Auburn in Week 4 of the 2025 campaign, the Sooners’ QB injured his thumb. Mateer’s throwing hand struck a defender’s helmet, which fractured his thumb. The signal caller had to undergo surgery to fix his thumb, but he surprisingly returned to the field in just 17 days post-op in the Red River Rivalry game against Texas. While he showed remarkable resilience, his performance suffered because of an unhealed thumb. The Sooners lost that game.

However, the struggles didn’t stop there. The QB’s throwing ability was significantly affected after his surgery. In his interview with On3, he compared his injury to “throwing a baseball without your two fingers.” As he couldn’t grip the lace, he had to hold the ball flat.

In the four games he played before his injury, his completion rate was 67.4%, and he averaged 303.8 yards passing per game with 11 TDs. However, after his injury, his stats drastically declined. He averaged 208.7 YPG on a 59% efficiency. More importantly, Mateer threw eight interceptions after the injury.

“It’s cute. You know, it’s up there. But everybody’s like, ‘No, that’s not the goal.’ So, there are a couple of things like that, which, from an outside piece, it’s like, ‘Oh, that’s great. You made the playoffs.’ But it’s like, no, it’s not,” Mateer said in his interview with On3.

Despite his struggles, Oklahoma had a successful campaign, finishing with 10 wins and a CFP berth. That included victories over Alabama, Michigan, Tennessee and LSU during the regular season. And even in the first round of the playoffs, Oklahoma led 17-0 at one point, but the Tide mounted a comeback.

For the 2026 campaign, Mateer has a personal redemption in mind. But the Sooners’ QB1 is not stopping at that. He wants to win it all for the program.

How is John Mateer looking before the 2026 season?

Mateer is back with his swag to take the Sooners to the top after a successful recovery. There was inevitable damage to his throwing, which he has fully focused on in the off-season.

As per On3, the QB turned to Josh Allen’s quarterback trainer, Josh Hess, to help him rebuild a different technique to fully utilize his throwing arm and also his footwork. Head coach Brent Venables has also fully invested in restoring his QB to his elite position. “He’s looked at it this offseason,” Sooner Scoops‘ George Stoia said on ‘The Paul Finebaum Show.’

Brent Venables has completely overhauled his offensive staff, targeted elite size in the transfer portal, and signed a top-tier high school class for the 2026 season. Venables got wide receivers Trell Harris & Parker Livingstone through the portal. Both come with proven Power-Four production abilities.