Now, if Oklahoma HC Brent Venables is under the impression that the Sooners have moved past the bad times, he is still living in a bubble. Looks like the fault is in Venables’ stars. After all, in the 2025 season, they are going to experience a schedule that will demand their blood, sweat, and tears. However, amidst all that might turn wrong, let’s focus on what might turn right. Thanks to Venables’ QB John Mateer. He hints at how Oklahoma has hit a double jackpot when it comes to their players’ rosters.
What does the 2025 season hold for Mateer and Co.? To sum things up, an impending doom. Venables’ program has got nine opponents next season that have odds currently to win the national championship among the top 25 in the country. The list includes Michigan, Auburn, Texas, South Carolina, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Alabama, Missouri, and LSU. Need more reality checks? Well, the Sooners are the only team in the entire SEC to be facing such a daunting schedule. The redshirt junior quarterback Mateer finished last season as the fifth quarterback in the nation in total offensive production. However, a dark future awaits him, too. As analyst J.D. PicKell painted a bleak picture. “Six of their nine power-four opponents will be playing somebody new at quarterback all right; two-thirds, that’s pretty nice.” However, Mateer marks himself from pondering over what is yet to happen.
The Sooners had their training session on March 23, Thursday, under NFL wide receiver and tight end specialist Delfonte Diamond. That’s where Mateer focused on developing chemistry with redshirt senior wide receiver Deion Burks and redshirt junior wide receiver Javonnie Gibson. Later on, in the OU Insider podcast, the QB was interviewed. Mateer was questioned: “How are the new receivers like Isaiah [Sategna] and Javonnie [Gibson]? Maybe some other guys. How they been impressing you already?” Then came Mateer’s enthusiastic reply. “They’ve been doing a really good job. All of them, all the transfers just getting in a quarterback-receiver relationship.” After all, building the quarterback-receiver bond is a time-consuming thing and can’t be built overnight.
So, Mateer and his mates are making the most out of the off-season to know each other a little better. “You can’t build on day one. It’s not going to be perfect. Every human is different, every player is different. But we’ve been taking some time together. Talking and getting to know each other. And me and Isaiah were just throwing after practice, just to get to know each other more. And it’s been good, and it should be real good.” Isaiah Sategna is coming off the best season of his career as a redshirt sophomore in 2024. He hauled in 37 receptions for 491 yards and a touchdown in Arkansas. Javonnie Gibson from Pine Bluff walks into Venables squad with a 79.9 offensive player grade and an 83.7 receiving grade. Well, Mateer is going to need some bonding as the pressure mounts for him.
Pressure continues to mount on John Mateer
Already, the stakes are too high for Mateer. After all, Venables’ Sooners’ are known for some major hits as gifted by their former quarterback Jackson Arnold. Back in 2024, he racked up 1,421 yards along with 12 touchdowns. However, at the same time, Arnold was sacked 34 times in the year, tied for the sixth most among FBS quarterbacks. So, the quarterback position is too hot that Mateer should take precautions beforehand.
Analysts have already raised the alarm. RJ Young on The Number One College Football Show came up with a wake-up call. To better understand the QB, the analyst had put Mateer under the microscope, comparing another Oklahoma legend, Baker Mayfield. “Can John Mateer keep pace? This is going to be a really interesting question to ask. Because most people believe, myself included, Oklahoma hit on his quarterback. A lot of people comparing John Mateer to Baker Mayfield, which okay, cool, I get it. He’s a better runner than Jake Baker Mayfield was, but I don’t know that he’s a better passer.”
Let’s take a look at the stats. Back at Oklahoma, Mayfield threw for 14,607 yards, 131 TDs, and 30 interceptions with a 68.5% completion rate. He topped up his Sooners’ chapter with a Heisman trophy. Cut to John Mateer, who showed off his mobility at UTSA in 2023, rushing for 300+ yards and 3 TDs and averaging 4.5+ yards per carry. Now that Brent Venables QB is yet to become the next star QB, he will need some help from his fellow mates- Isaiah Sategna and Javonnie Gibson.
The post Double Jackpot for John Mateer as Brent Venables Receives Delightful Update From Sooners Camp appeared first on EssentiallySports.
