Greg McElroy, David Pollack deem John Mateer as the current top player in college football

Greg McElroy and David Pollack are both in agreement that Oklahoma QB John Mateer is the best player in college football at the moment. Mateer entered the season with Heisman hype after transferring from Washington State and has so far lived up to it.

Mateer has thrown for 944 yards and five touchdowns with three interceptions so far while also rushing for 161 yards and four more scores. Pollack posed the question to McElroy on Always College Football as to whether Mateer was the best player in college football, and McElroy didn’t hesitate with his answer.

“He’d be No. 1,” the analyst said. “I’m honestly not sure it’s close at this point. I like a from what I’ve seen from Carson Beck. I like a lot from what I’ve seen from other guys. But at this point, knowing the competition he’s faced against Michigan and how good they are defensively and the fact that he left some plays on the field in that game, yeah, it’s Mateer.”

Mateer used his legs to carve up the Michigan defense in a Week 2 matchup, rushing for 74 yards and two touchdowns. That was in addition to 270 yards passing and one touchdown with an interception.

The QB showed that he could still perform against one of the top defenses in the country and sets up well heading into SEC play. But Pollack was willing to take it even further. He doesn’t just believe that Mateer is the best player in the country, but also that his talent is enough to make the Sooners a contender for the national championship.

“They are,” he said. “I didn’t think I could say that coming into the season. I’m like, ‘All right, receiver’s OK. I don’t think they’re elite. Who’s gonna be their running back?’ Obviously, you had (Jaydn) Ott transfers, but we haven’t seen much from him to make you think he’s the back and he’s the guy. Offensive line was putrid a year ago. They were awful across the board. So could he lift everyone? Yeah, he can. He’s the best in the country against pressure. He feels pressure. He’s OK getting hit because of his build. He’s also used to being under pressure.

“When you play at Washington State, you’re not always protected that well. But his ability to break tackles, his ability to throw freaking laser beams. The throws over the middle, man, those in-breaking routes that are just 18 yards down the field. It’s so good. The back shoulder on the sidelines. He’s got all the goods. That’s a guy that’s a force multiplier. He makes everyone around him better. He makes you pick your poison. His running ability, breaking tackles, making people miss is just really, really elite.”

John Mateer will have another big test coming up with Oklahoma getting ready to enter SEC play. But based on the early performance thus far, he’s proving himself every bit as advertised.