Booger McFarland reacts to John Mateer's hot start at Oklahoma, Heisman Trophy buzz

As Oklahoma overhauled its roster for 2025, the Sooners turned to the transfer portal and landed one of the top quarterbacks available. And through three games, John Mateer is looking the part.

The former Washington State quarterback arrived with plenty of fanfare, along with his offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle. Mateer was the No. 3 overall player to enter the portal, according to the On3 Industry Transfer Rankings, and was coming off a huge 2024 season on The Palouse.

He hasn’t missed a beat in Norman, and the Heisman Trophy buzz is growing. In fact, ESPN’s Booger McFarland predicted that if Mateer can keep his hot start going, a trip to New York could be in the cards.

“He’s been everything that I think Oklahoma fans thought he would be,” McFarland said Wednesday on SportsCenter. “He’s a dual-threat quarterback. And I think him and his offensive coordinator – who came from Washington State with him, Ben Arbuckle – are putting him in great position. He’s got 1,100 total yards already and nine touchdowns because throwing the football, running the football, he can absolutely get it done. And he’s going to play in high-profile games in the SEC, he’s going to be in primetime and because he makes up so much of their offense, his stats are going to be crazy towards the end of the year. He’s going to have almost 5,000 yards and almost 50 touchdowns if he continues on this pace.

“So all of that being said, I think his playmaking ability along with his play-caller and the position he’s in and the conference he’s in, he’s going to get every opportunity to put up gaudy stats and get big wins. And if he continues on this path, don’t be surprised if he’s your Heisman Trophy winner.”

More on John Mateer’s hot start to 2025

John Mateer has done it all at Oklahoma through the non-conference portion of the schedule. He leads the SEC with 944 passing yards to go with five touchdowns, while also adding 161 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the ground. That comes after he led the nation in total touchdowns at Washington State a year ago, throwing for 29 and rushing for 15.

The Heisman Trophy chatter is also growing. Mateer topped On3’s Heisman Trophy Poll after Week 3 with 66 points, which was 14 more than the second-place vote-getter, Florida State quarterback Thomas Castellanos. Mateer also currently has the second-best odds to win the award at +900, according to BetMGM, trailing only Miami quarterback Carson Beck.

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