Oklahoma QB John Mateer returning for 2026 season

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer will be returning to Norman next season.

Mateer was not among the 42 players given special status as undergraduate entrants into the spring’s NFL Draft. Not long after the undergraduate list was released by the NFL, the University of Oklahoma announced that Mateer would be back for the Sooners in 2026. Combined with Thursday’s news that wide receiver Isaiah Sategna would return to Oklahoma, Oklahoma had a great Thursday.

Oklahoma finished its best season in coach Brent Venables’ four-year tenure thus far in 2025 with Mateer at the helm. In his first season at OU after transferring from Washington State, Mateer threw for 2,885 yards with 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He also ran for 431 yards and a team-high eight touchdowns.

The numbers did not quite live up to Mateer’s preseason and early-season Heisman Trophy contender status. But a thumb injury in Week 4 against Auburn likely contributed, as he threw nine touchdowns and eight picks in Southeastern Conference play.

Sategna was his top target after he transferred from Arkansas. The rising senior, who was also eligible for the draft, led Oklahoma’s wide receivers in practically every category. Sategna collected 67 catches for 965 yards and eight touchdowns as Oklahoma made the College Football Playoff for the first time since it expanded from four teams.

Now Mateer, Sategna, and Lewis can build on their remarkable 2025 season that saw the Sooners go 10-2 and reach the College Football Playoff.

This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Oklahoma announces the return of QB John Mateer in 2026

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos