ESPN CFB reveals why Sooners' John Mateer will have bounce-back season

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Oklahoma Sooners quarterback John Mateer has a chance to be the first Sooner quarterback since Josh Heupel in 2000 to win a national championship. This comes after Mateer elected to return to Norman rather than pursue an NFL career.

Mateer had a down year in his first year in Norman. He completed 62.2% of his passes for 2,885 yards, 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, while rushing for 431 yards and eight scores. This comes after leading college football in 2024 at Washington State with 44 total touchdowns.

But there is some optimism for Mateer as the Sooners revamped the playmakers around him. It's due to those new players that ESPN's Greg McElroy believes Mateer could be in for a bounce-back season.

"He had to do a lot of it on his own," McElroy said on 'Always College Football.' "The run game last year was not what you were looking for. I mean, Venables even described it as not good. So, they go out and hire a great running backs coach who helped develop Ashton Jeanty and Jeremiyah Love… They upgraded the receiver room with Parker Livinstone from Texas and Trell Harris from Virginia. Remember those two names. I think those two names will be really good."

Mateer's 2025 season showed the challenges of transitioning to the SEC, especially when an offense lacks consistent playmakers around its quarterback. This season should look much different. Oklahoma has improved its running back room, added more weapons at receiver and returns an offensive line that gained valuable experience last season.

If Mateer can return to the form he showed at Washington State while limiting the mistakes he made in his first season with the Sooners, Oklahoma could have one of the most dangerous offenses in the SEC. With Brent Venables' defense already playing at a championship level, a confident and productive Mateer could be the missing piece that turns the Sooners from a playoff team into a legitimate national title contender.

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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: ESPN CFB reveals why Sooners' John Mateer will have bounce-back season

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