Greg McElroy has questions about OU's quarterback

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Oklahoma Sooners redshirt-senior starting quarterback John Mateer helped OU make it to the College Football Playoff last year, but he wasn’t always at his best following a September thumb injury. Playing through a broken hand that required midseason surgery, Mateer did just enough to help the Sooners get to the CFP, but the offense wasn’t pretty late in the year, and he didn’t look like he had for the season’s first four games.

Mateer chose to come back to OU for his final season of collegiate eligibility in 2026, and he’ll once again be starting for Oklahoma. While no one is questioning his toughness, leadership, or athletic prowess, there are questions from some regarding how good of a QB Mateer will actually be this fall.

Former Alabama national championship-winning quarterback and current ESPN college football color commentator Greg McElroy illustrated the questions that he has about Mateer for the 2026 season on his podcast, “Always College Football with Greg McElroy“. He believes in Mateer’s talent, but also believes he has a tendency to try and force things that aren’t always there.

“He’s capable of being one of the best quarterbacks in college football when everything’s going right,” McElroy said. “So, the question’s never been about talent … The question is whether or not he can somehow avoid trying to do too much.

Oklahoma has taken steps this offseason to try and ensure that the offense isn’t as dependent on Mateer and wide receiver Isaiah Sategna III, they way it was for much of last season, especially down the stretch. As head coach Brent Venables and offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle have focused on getting better at running the ball in 2026, that should help to take some of the pressure off of Mateer as well.

McElroy also pointed out the emphasis Mateer has placed on improving his mechanics this spring, something Mateer has said he’s looking forward to working on more this summer, after a “productive” spring camp.

“The question is whether he’s maybe adjusted his mechanics just a little bit knowing that thumb was hurt for part of last season and now he can maybe be a little better on some of the deep balls, be a little more accurate,” McElroy said.

McElroy called four OU games in 2025, so he clearly knows Mateer’s game well. However, three of those games came while Mateer was playing with a broken thumb, and the other came in the game he broke it in. Clearly, the Sooners believe that he’s more than capable of returning to his pre-injury self, when he was the frontrunner in the Heisman Trophy race.

Only time will tell if Mateer’s final season of college football is a special one in Norman, but for now, we’ll all just have to wait through the long offseason, and see what he’s got when the fall rolls around.

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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Greg McElroy has some questions about Oklahoma QB John Mateer

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