"People are completely misevaluating" - CFB insider outlines why Oklahoma's John Mateer is primed to succeed over Carson Beck, Jackson Arnold

Oklahoma Sooners quarterback John Mateer has been in the spotlight heading into the 2025 season. Mateer played three seasons at Washington State before transferring to Oklahoma. He is expected to lead the Sooners' offense for the 2025 season.

The Sooners have high hopes for their quarterback, and analyst J.D. PicKell outlined why Mateer could be even more successful than Miami's Carson Beck or Auburn's Jackson Arnold next season.

"I think people are completely misevaluating how much John Mateer means to this football team," PicKell said via On3 on Sunday. "The situation Mateer is in at Oklahoma, I think, cannot be overstated in terms of importance on Oklahoma's success in 2025. Because you're not just getting a guy at Oklahoma in John Mateer, who accounted for 44 touchdowns and lit it up last year statistically, and was great on the ground and great through the air.

"All of those things, like, that's awesome. We're here for that; we factor that in. But, you're getting that, plus the offensive system that he played in the year ago, under (OU offensive coordinator and QBs coach) Ben Arbuckle and John Kuceyeski (OU senior offensive assistant/assistant QB coach). Both those guys are now with him in Norman.

"So, we think Carson Beck's gonna be great at Miami. Jackson Arnold, I think he could have success at Auburn. But both those individuals are now trying to figure out new offenses at new places. That's not Mateer's story."

J.D. PicKell

@jdpickell

LINK

I think a lot of the CFB public is misreading how solid the situation is for Oklahoma with John Mateer

Here’s why:

https://youtu.be/C8VdO-_XWkA?si=fubq1PBu2DCWXdn9

Beck transferred to Miami in the offseason after spending five years with the Georgia Bulldogs. He recorded 3,485 passing yards, 28 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and one rushing TD in his final year at UG. Beck reportedly signed a $4.5 million NIL deal to transfer.

Meanwhile, Arnold played two seasons at Oklahoma before transferring to Auburn in the offseason. In his final year with the Sooners, the QB posted 1,421 passing yards, 12 touchdowns and three interceptions across 10 games.

Notably, Arnold was benched by Oklahoma after four starts, but returned as QB1 after a few weeks. He will be aiming to revive his career with the Tigers in 2025.

SEC analyst Paul Finebaum is optimistic on Oklahoma and John Mateer

Oklahoma QB John Mateer - Source: Imagn

SEC analyst Paul Finebaum appears to be optimistic about Oklahoma heading into the 2025 season with John Mateer leading the team's offense.

"I think John Mateer is going to fit in very well," Finebaum said on his show this past week. "This is based on people who have seen him perform out there and those who know the Sooners' depth chart. I really like what I see."

Finebaum explained that OU needs to do well to navigate past a tricky second half of the 2025 schedule.

Mateer committed to Washington State in 2022. He got the starting role in 2024. In his final year with the Cougars, he completed 224 of 347 passes for 3,139 yards with 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also rushed for 826 yards and 15 TDs, leading Washington State to an 8-4 record.

It will be interesting to see if Mateer can improve on those numbers at Oklahoma.

The Sooners finished with a 6-7 record last season, but some feel that they could qualify for the College Football Playoff in 2025.