If you have ever used the app Venmo to send money to a friend or colleague, you know that there is an area where you can put in a note for what the payment is for. Those sending money to a landlord could put "rent" in the field, while those sending money to friends have creative freedom to write whatever they want.
John Mateer is currently under scrutiny and an investigation stemming from the notes in his Venmo transaction history. The point of the investigation will be surrounding the validity of the notes, as Mateer's notes say the payments are for sports gambling.
Even if he thought the notes were private, you would hope he wouldn't be naive enough to actually write that if it were for sports gambling, since that is illegal for college athletes.
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Here is what we know about Mateer's Venmo-betting controversy.
John Mateer's gambling allegations, explained
Mateer has two Venmo transactions that are the focal point of the allegations. Both are from November 20, 2022.
One says simply, "sports gambling," while the other is a little more on the nose and says, "sports gambling (UCLA vs. USC)." It is worth noting that UCLA and USC did play on November 19, 2022, which would have been the day before these Venmo payments were sent.
🚨BREAKING🚨
— Bryan Aguada (@Bryan_Aguada) August 11, 2025
Oklahoma QB John Mateer has allegedly engaged in sports betting, including on NCAA football games such as UCLA vs USC, according to Venmo transactions.
NCAA rules prohibit athletes from wagering on any NCAA-sanctioned events pic.twitter.com/UZTt8g4iDR
Mateer has since "made it clear he has never gambled," per Sooner Scoop's George Stoia, and Oklahoma is handling it. ESPN's Pete Thamel corroborates this report, saying, "Mateer has consistently denied to OU officials ever being involved with gambling."
As expected, Mateer released a statement saying that he has never engaged in sports betting and that the notes were just "inside jokes" with friends.
— John Mateer (@John_Mateer4) August 12, 2025
Along with its quarterback, the University of Oklahoma has also released a statement. OU Athletics claims that it does not know of any investigation into the matter, and doesn't believe there will be one.
OU athletics has also released a statement regarding John Mateer.
— George Stoia III (@GeorgeStoia) August 12, 2025
"OU Athletics is unaware of any NCAA investigation and has no reason to believe there is one pending." #Sooners pic.twitter.com/ULT2ziNuQR
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Who is Bryan Aguada?
The account that started the rumor with the Venmo findings, is suspect. The account on X says that it is for someone who is an insider for Deadspin and a senior journalist for Valley News Live. However, Blake Gamble spoke with someone who had worked for the Valley News Live publication for two years and they said they have never heard of Bryan Aguada. Gamble also pointed out that the profile picture on the account is actually for a Northeastern hockey player from 2016-2017 named Zach Aston-Reese.
🚨BREAKING🚨
— Blake Gamble (@Blakes_Takes) August 12, 2025
Bryan Aguada claims to be the Senior Journalist at @ValleyNewsLive - however, after speaking with someone who's been with publication for 2 years. They aren't familiar with a "Bryan Aguada" #Sooners #CFB https://t.co/cRYXLeAHGm pic.twitter.com/hWNCn77OyA
The profile pic for @Bryan_Aguada is actually of '16-17 Northeastern hockey player Zach Aston-Reese.
— Blake Gamble (@Blakes_Takes) August 12, 2025
Just spoke w/ the Office Manager of @ValleyNewsLive who looked through their records. They have never employed either person.
Mateer is Innocent. Case Closed.#Sooners #CFB https://t.co/4tvrw0LXMM pic.twitter.com/swzMniiAA1
While the Venmo transactions and notes are reportedly real, the account that brought this story up doesn't appear to be.
John Mateer's career timeline
Mateer initially committed to Central Arkansas on August 21, 2021. He de-committed five months later, on January 17, 2022. This was three days after he received an offer from Washington State. After he de-committed, he went on an official visit to Washington State and then committed on January 24, 2022. He signed his letter of intent in February and then enrolled that June.
Mateer entered the transfer portal on December 16, 2024. Two days later, he committed to Oklahoma.
- Washington State 2022-2024
- Oklahoma 2025-present
| Season | Games | Completions | Attempts | Passing Yards | Touchdowns | INTs | Carries | Rush Yards | Rush TDs |
| 2022 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 32 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 58 | 0 |
| 2023 | 11 | 13 | 17 | 235 | 2 | 1 | 21 | 92 | 3 |
| 2024 | 12 | 224 | 347 | 3,139 | 29 | 7 | 178 | 826 | 15 |
| Total | 24 | 239 | 366 | 3,406 | 32 | 8 | 203 | 976 | 18 |
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Oklahoma QB depth chart
Mateer is expected to be the starting quarterback for the Sooners in 2025. Jackson Arnold led the team in passing yards and passing touchdowns last season, but transferred to Auburn this offseason.
| Position | Player |
| 1 | John Mateer |
| 2 | Michael Hawkins Jr. |
| 3 | Whitt Newbauer |
| 4 | Jett Niu |
Hawkins played sparingly for OU in 2024. He finished the season with 783 passing yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions. Hawkins also ran for 204 yards and a score.
Newbauer is a sophomore transfer from Mercer, while Jett Niu is a true freshman.
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John Mateer 247
Mateer was considered a three-star prospect coming out of high school. Among the offers he received were those from Houston Baptist, Columbia, Central Arkansas, Incarnate Word, New Mexico State, and Washington State.
Given his success at Washington State in his final year with the Cougars, he was considered a four-star transfer. Mateer was the No. 6 overall transfer and third-best quarterback in the 2024 transfer class.
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