John Mateer evaluates receiving targets he has around him at Oklahoma

In its first season of SEC play last season, Oklahoma‘s offense was near the bottom of the conference in nearly every major statistical category. Because of this, Brent Venables and his staff went out and hauled in prized quarterback John Mateer from the Transfer Portal.

Mateer spent his first three seasons of collegiate football at Washington State, where he totaled 3,406 passing yards, 32 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He’ll now look to inject life into an Oklahoma quarterback position that left a lot to be desired last season.

Along with the shiny new quarterback, Oklahoma upgraded its offensive output in a big way by bringing in former First Team All-Pac 12 running back Jadyn Ott from California and former Arkansas-Pine Bluff wide receiver and 2024 Second Team FCS All-American Javonnie Gibson.

Paired with returning pieces in Deion Burks and Zion Kearney, the Sooners have completely overhauled its offense in a much-needed way.

“I mean, they’re all real good,” Mateer said about his weapons on offense. “If I look to this side of the field I’ve got somebody to go to. If I look here, beside me, in front of me they’re everywhere. It’s pretty dangerous when you’ve got weapons everywhere and we all trust each other and we’re gonna get to the point where we really trust each other.”

Phil Steele is high on an Oklahoma bounce back this season

The Sooners totaled just 331.0 YPG (14th in SEC), 2,286 passing yards (15th in SEC) and 24.0 PPG (15th in SEC) last season, resulting in a disappointing 6-7 season. With big names all around the field on offense with a strong returning defense, 2025 could mark a major bounce back season for the Oklahoma program.

“This year, the receiving core goes from a weakness to a strength as they get players like Deion Burks back from injury,” college football analyst Phil Steele said on “The Paul Finebaum Show” last week. “He’s an NFL prospect, plus they have a dynamic receiving core. Offensive line built by one of the best offensive line coaches out there and now he’s got a veteran offensive line to work with. They added Jaydn Ott at running back and he was the best running back in the PAC-12 two years ago. He was injured last year but he’s 100% this year.”

Oklahoma opens its 2025 season at home on Aug. 30 against Illinois State. Kick-off is scheduled for 6:00 PM on ESPN+/SEC Network+. The Sooners are 3-0 in season opener’s under Brent Venables, with all three wins coming against non-power conference opponents (UTEP in 2022, Arkansas State in 2023 and Temple in 2024).