John Mateer addresses what sort of legacy he hopes to leave at Oklahoma

Sam Bradford. Baker Mayfield. Kyler Murray. John Mateer?

Mateer, who transferred from Washington State in the offseason, looks to become the next great Oklahoma quarterback this season. He has brought on high expectations for himself and the Sooners in 2025, as he lit up college football with 3,319 passing yards, 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions last season.

He discussed the legacy he hopes to leave at Oklahoma this week at SEC Media Days.

“I don’t think about the word ‘legacy’ a whole lot,” Mateer said. “I would like to win a lot of games and do it while playing as hard as I can. I’lll let the legacy happen however it should. You win and good things happen. So I just want to win a lot of games.”

Winning games has been somewhat of a struggle for Oklahoma as of late, as the Sooners have finished with six wins in two of the last three seasons. The last time OU won six (or less) games in two seasons in a span of three years dates back to 1997-99. Not being in the conversation for the College Football Playoff as of late has been a major downturn for the program after it made four appearances in five seasons (2015, 2016-2018).

Quarterback play has not led to wins since departure of Lincoln Riley

“He’s a guy that deeply cares,” head coach Brent Venables said of Mateer, via Sports Illustrated. “He’s a guy, along with the other two players that are part of the 2025 version of the Oklahoma Sooners, turned down more money to go elsewhere because of belief and vision in the program.”

Quarterback play for the Sooners took a bit of a hit as soon as Lincoln Riley departed for USC prior to the 2022 season. Dillon Gabriel (2022-23) was solid in his two seasons in Norman (6,828 pass yards, 55 touchdowns, 12 interceptions) before transferring to Oregon, but Jackson Arnold struggled mighty in 2024 (1,421 pass yards, 12 touchdowns, three interceptions).

The quarterback duo led Oklahoma to a combined 22-17 record over the past three seasons with three consecutive bowl game losses. The addition of Mateer however has been a beacon of hope for Sooner fans all around the country.

In three total seasons of play for the Cougars, Mateer totaled 3,406 passing yards, 32 touchdowns and eight interceptions. As a starter in 2024, he led Wazzu to a 8-5 record and a berth in the Holiday Bowl.

Mateer and the Sooners open the 2025 season on Aug. 30 against Illinois State. Kick-off is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.