John Mateer grew up in the heart of Big 12 and modern SEC territory. He wanted to stay home out of high school to play college football, but he didn't get any offers from schools in the south's power conferences. Mateer's offer sheet coming out of high school doesn't look like a player that just led the nation in total touchdowns and had 4,000 total yards.
Mateer was pursued by Central Arkansas, Columbia, Houston Christian, Incarnate Word, New Mexico State, ultimately choosing Washington State to work under offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle.
Now, after transferring to Oklahoma and preparing to play his first season in the SEC, he's ready to show everyone what they missed.
The new Oklahoma quarterback, who transferred from Washington State after the 2024 season, is expected to be one of the best quarterbacks in the country. He couldn't be more excited for a measure of revenge against all those schools he'll play this season, those who passed him on as a teenager.
"I'm from the South," Mateer, who is from just outside the Dallas, told USA TODAY Sports. "And all these SEC teams recruit the South. So I guess they all passed on me. Even Oklahoma passed on me ... There's a couple (teams) here and there that really make me mad. I'm not over it."
Mateer established himself last season as one of the better quarterbacks in the country at Wazzu. Even without the Cougars playing in a power conference - they were left behind when the Pac-12 fell apart - he excelled, throwing for 3,139 yards with 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Those numbers were impressive enough to have Oklahoma, one of the most decorated programs in FBS history, come knocking— this time.
The chip on Mateer's shoulder is thick. Washington State coach Jake Dickert knew he couldn't keep Mateer, saying, "he'll be the most sought-after player in the transfer portal." When Oklahoma coach Brent Venables hired Washington State offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle this past offseason, Mateer jumped at the chance to head back to the South and exact revenge. The question was whether he'd do it in the central part of the country or out east.
That's because Miami was attempting to double dip with Washington State quarterbacks after a successful season with Cam Ward, the former Cougars quarterback. New North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick wanted him at UNC, but a phone call with former Sooners quarterback Baker Mayfield practically sealed things.
“Baker told me it wasn’t a big problem going from the Air Raid to the pro game. Similar concepts. But I’m sure he wasn’t biased at all," Mateer joked.
Between the call Arbuckle's hiring and OU showing him they wanted him to be The Man, Mateer signed on to head to Norman. With spring underway and a summer to continue to get acclimated, Mateer is just waiting on his chance at the real deal.
The expectations are high at Oklahoma. Coming out of the Dallas area, Mateer is well aware with the history and the prestige that comes with quarterbacking the Sooners. Oklahoma's built a defense that can play in the SEC. But they couldn't take advantage in 2024 with an offense that dealt with injuries and inexperience. The Sooners worked this offseason to quickly rectify the situation with the addition of Arbuckle, Mateer, and a number of transfer portal players for the former Cougars to work with.
Whether he feels the pressure to succeed or not, Mateer knows it all comes down to one thing.
"It’s not for me to look at this as I’m the ...
