Before he even played his first game at Oklahoma, John Mateer was elected one of six captains for the Sooners.
This fact does not surprise his high school coach, Kendrick Brown, who worked with the quarterback from seventh grade through his senior year of high school.
“You want to be around John Mateer,” Brown told The Sporting News. “He's a guy that knows how to lead and people follow him. Oklahoma, they're following him, man. They’ve all bought into John Mateer. It’s always been that way.”
Saturday, Mateer will get his opportunity to play on this week’s biggest stage in college football. No. 18 Oklahoma is hosting No. 15 Michigan on ABC. ESPN’s GameDay will be in Norman, kicking off what will undoubtedly be the biggest game of Mateer’s career.
It has been a long time coming for a QB almost nobody wanted out of high school.
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John Mateer started as a high school freshman
Mateer grew up in Little Elm, Texas, about 25 miles north of Dallas where high school football is the thing. His father Stephen swam at Missouri and his mother Judy swam at Navy, so the athletic genes were there. He displayed some smarts and a strong arm coming out of eighth grade, and the coaching staff knew it had a promising player who would one day make an impact. But Mateer really wasn’t a starting option coming into the season.
Midway through the year, however, after some struggles, the staff started thinking about handing the reins to the 14-year-old who was always doing the extra workouts and the extra film sessions. And it wasn’t just the staff.
“It was our decision, of course, but the players felt like this young freshman was the guy that could get the job done,” Brown said. “And once he took the reins, he carried us all the way through his high school career.”
That career saw him pile up 7,060 passing yards, 66 passing touchdowns, 1,223 rushing yards, 22 rushing touchdowns and the District 5-6A Offensive Player of the Year. It did not, however, lead to the Power Five offers you might expect.
“I didn’t get recruited a whole lot,” said Mateer, who was rated a 3-star and the 119th best QB nationally by 247Sports composite.
Brown thinks Mateer’s height, at 6-foot-1, was the deciding factor for some schools, or the fact that Little Elm competed in District 6 for smaller schools and never won more than five games with Mateer at QB.
Mateer backed up Cam Ward at Washington State
Initially committed to Central Arkansas, Mateer took a late visit to Washington State when Incarnate Word coach Eric Morris was hired as the Cougars’ offensive coordinator. Morris was bringing his current quarterback Cam Ward with him, and also wanted a high school recruit to be in the system. He was familiar with Mateer and had offered him at UIW. After an “awesome” visit, Mateer signed with the Cougars.
For two years, Mateer was Ward’s understudy and did not see the field much. But he still made a lasting impression.
“We knew we had something the first day John walked on campus,” says then-Washington State head coach Jake Dickert, now the head coach at Wake Forest. “I always tell this story about our first fall camp. I'm leaving at 10 p.m. The lights are off in the stadium. There's a player out there going through the plays. And it’s John Mateer. That is the true story of what built his success as a freshman.”
Ward moved on to Miami for his final year of college, and Mateer stepped in as QB1 – although Washington State had essentially dropped down a level since Mateer had enrolled. The Pac-12 became the Pac-2, and Washington State faced a mostly Mountain West schedule. Mateer thrived through the chaos, however, throwing for 3,139 yards and 29 touchdowns, with another 15 rushing touchdowns on top of that. He led Wazzu to a satisfying 24-19 upset of Washington and a somewhat surprising 8-4 record.
Mateer quickly became arguably the top target for Power 4 programs in the market for a transfer QB. He consulted Ward, who was in the same situation just one year earlier.
“He actually called me a lot, like that last week where I was deciding and he gave me his advice,” Mateer said of Ward. “He wanted to tell me what he thought was best for me, which I appreciate, and it ended up being pretty good for him. Love that dude, really do. Can't wait to watch him on Sundays this year.”
Ultimately, Mateer did not take Ward’s path to Miami, which was one of his options, but instead decided to follow offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle to Oklahoma. The Sooners were in need of a starting quarterback, and Mateer finally landed in a spot where he felt he could show his talents at the top of the sport.
“I'm super excited,” Mateer said at SEC Media Days this summer. “I mean, it's the University of Oklahoma. A lot of history. I’ve got the same offensive coordinator. It's gonna be great.”
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Mateer’s challenge against Michigan
Things weren't great a few weeks later, when a gambling controversy popped up surrounding Mateer. Two screenshots surfaced online of Venmo transactions from when Mateer was a freshman at Washington State that were labeled 'sports gambling'. Mateer came out with a statement denying ever gambling and saying it was an "inside joke" between friends. Oklahoma released a statement saying "OU Athletics is unaware of any NCAA investigation and has no reason to believe one is pending."
Mateer’s OU debut went as expected, as the Sooners throttled FCS-Illinois State 35-7. Mateer was 30 for 37 for 392 yards and three touchdowns, with his passing yards setting a school-record for quarterback’s first start. Now comes Michigan, a team that has had an elite defense for several years and is eager to get off to its own fast start in 2025.
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Mateer was asked after the Illinois State win how he will try to keep his teammates focused and not let the excitement of GameDay, a primetime kickoff and a recent national championship opponent overtake the team.
“Stay away from the media. Sorry guys,” he said to the assembled members of the press. “Stay off your phone, because you will see a lot of good and a lot of bad. Just embrace how cool it is.You only get so many of these opportunities.”
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Brown, who is now the athletic director of the Lancaster Independent School district in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, will be in attendance to watch Mateer in college for the first time. The two still communicate, and he knows his former pupil will be ready for the moment.
“It is two hours from my house to Norman, Oklahoma,” Brown said. “I’m excited for him. I know his mom and dad are excited. I think the town of Little Elm is in a buzz.
“I know he’s not gonna get caught up in this, but this is a game where the country can get a chance to see John Mateer on a big stage against a quality, big-time opponent. This is big, not only for Oklahoma, but it’s gonna be a big game for John Mateer.”