Biggest Concern for every SEC team in 2026: Oklahoma Sooners
We continue our countdown to kick-off with our series detailing one biggest concern for every SEC team heading into 2026. Today, we head to Norman to talk about the biggest concern for the Oklahoma Sooners this season.
Can John Mateer be September Mateer all year long
John Mateer felt like fool’s gold last season. It honestly felt that way before the season started. He came to Oklahoma with a ton of hype after he put up nearly 4,500 yards of offense at Washington State the previous season.
It felt like there were a lot of players that came into last season with a lot of undeserved hype at the quarterback position for players who hadn’t played significantly in the SEC. Arch Manning and DJ Lagway were no different.
Mateer however, did something neither of those two did, and got off to a tremendous start. At the end of September, the Sooners were undefeated and he was actually the front runner for the Heisman. He finished that month with 11 touchdowns, over 350 yards of offense per game and a completion percentage over 67 percent.
Then everything went sideways. Maybe it was all because of the thumb injury as Oklahoma fans have insisted. Maybe it’s because that’s when Oklahoma started playing good competition. Maybe it’s a combination of both. Either way, if Oklahoma is going to get back to the College Football Playoff, they’re going to need September Mateer to be the same in October and November.
Mateer’s numbers against good competition are a stark contrast to what he did versus bad teams. His completion percentage never averaged over 60 percent against FBS teams with a winning record, ranked opponents, or over the final two months of the season.The six passing touchdowns he had in September was the same amount he had in October and November combined. He was terrible on the road during the last two months, as well.
In the three road games against South Carolina, Tennessee, and Alabama he averaged 149 yards per game through the air and had just one passing touchdown and three total touchdowns in those three games. That was while he averaged just 5.7 yards per attempt. The explosive plays were gone, the efficiency was gone, and the Heisman candidacy went out the window with it.
Luckily for Oklahoma, they had one of the best defenses in America and didn’t need him to be a Heisman level player to make the CFP or win ten games. In fact, maybe the best statistic out of all the things we just mentioned is this – 3-0. That was Mateer’s record in those three road games.
Still, the Sooners need him to take a step forward for them to take a step forward this season. Will that happen against a schedule that includes Michigan, Texas, Georgia, Ole Miss and Texas A&M? Not to mention road games at Missouri and Mississippi State?
We shall see, but for now that is Oklahoma’s biggest concern going into the 2026 season.
