Brent Venables is a defensive savant. That much has never been in question. But in 2023, the Oklahoma HC treated his offense like it was covered in plutonium. The results were toxic. His handling of former 5-star QB Jackson Arnold bordered on the disastrous. After entering the season with Arnold as the heir apparent, Venables yanked him midseason for freshman Michael Hawkins Jr., a move that sent OU’s offensive identity into a spiral. Arnold didn’t even suit up for the Sooners’ late September nail-biter against Auburn—a 27–21 win over the very school he would transfer to by year’s end. His final stats—1,421 yards and 12 touchdowns—tell the story lost in translation, sacrificed to a regime that couldn’t quite figure out how to bridge elite arm talent with developmental structure.
The damage didn’t stop with the stats, though. In a real head-scratcher, Brent Venables publicly said he was going to redshirt Arnold, only to toss him into the Ole Miss game weeks later, burning that redshirt like it was nothing. It left everyone in Norman wondering what was going on. Even ESPN’s Cole Cubelic called out Venables’ questionable handling, saying, “I’m pretty hard on what Jackson was last year, and Greg [McElroy] is a little more forgiving, and he said, he goes, ‘The thing that you need to think about that I don’t think you think about is it’s hard playing quarterback for a defensive-minded head coach.’” Because when your head coach is a defensive guy like Venables, who was a DC for ages at Oklahoma and Clemson, Cubelic pointed out the constant vibe is—“Don’t f— up.” You just wouldn’t see offensive gurus like Lane Kiffin or Lincoln Riley doing things that way.
As On3’s J.D. PicKell recently put it, “Let’s just be really honest about what this roster was last year, what it is this year. Bad luck. I don’t know how it happened. I don’t know what kind of whack stuff was going on in Norman, Oklahoma… Jackson Arnold was walking into a fixer-upper last year.”
PicKell continued, “Even with the roster being what it was and all the injuries—like the offensive line was brand new. Coordinator brand new. There were holes in the wall. AC wasn’t working. Five new offensive linemen, all that. It was a fixer-upper.” It contrasts that with the house John Mateer just inherited, and it’s no surprise why the vibes in Norman feel like they’ve shifted from haunted to hopeful.
Mateer may not be a household name just yet, but his situation is far more stable than the one Arnold endured. “John Mateer—it’s not finished, but it’s a lot more furnished,” PicKell said. “AC works. Wi-Fi is good. Windows aren’t broken. Everything works properly there. New appliances. He’s got a coordinator he trusts. Weapons, for the most part, you hope are healthy.” This isn’t just a metaphor—it’s meaningful infrastructure. Offensive continuity, veteran playmakers, and a defined identity have created a much firmer foundation for Mateer’s potential success. While Arnold walked through quicksand, John Mateer’s path was paved. Sooners’ offseason additions have only sweetened the outlook. The most notable arrival? Former Cal running back Jaydn Ott, one of the most dynamic portal additions in the entire SEC.
Adding Jaydn Ott just makes the math that much tougher to stop Oklahoma’s offense. Don’t know how you do it consistently as a defense.https://t.co/EKZqli3eHR pic.twitter.com/RGjSC31buF
— J.D. PicKell (@jdpickell) April 30, 2025
Ott racked up 3,333 total yards and 30 touchdowns with the Golden Bears and now steps into a Sooners offense already rich in aerial threats. According to PicKell, this complicates the calculus for defensive coordinators: “The math just got harder defending Oklahoma,” he said. “Because you think about John Mateer… Does some stuff downfield, obviously, plus what he can do with his legs. Javonnie Gibson, when he gets healthy, he’s a tremendous threat for them. Deion Burks, he’s healthy, he’s a dawg for you. You go down the list; there’s a lot of dudes to defend here in the pass game themselves, plus John Mateer with his legs.”
That dual-threat capability is what makes John Mateer so intriguing. While Arnold was expected to carry a fractured team across broken glass, Mateer enters with a complete toolset and a clean slate. Ott’s ability to be a pass-catching back adds a new dimension to the playbook, and that, paired with Oklahoma’s emerging receiver corps, gives Mateer plenty of options. PicKell summed it up best: “The to-do list to defend Oklahoma as an offense just keeps on getting longer to the point where if you’re a defense, I don’t know how you check all the boxes.”
It’s a cruel twist of timing. Two promising passers, two very different situations. Arnold’s burned redshirt and bruised development are now Auburn’s reclamation project. Mateer, meanwhile, gets the keys to a program.
Sooner spark, John Mateer, Ben Arbuckle, and the QB revival in Norman
There’s a fresh wave of excitement sweeping through Norman—and it’s got everything to do with John Mateer. The transfer QB1 is already injecting new life into Oklahoma’s offense, bringing with him not just talent but familiarity. Not everything that went sideways for the Sooners last year can be blamed on the QB position. The lack of experience under center made it hard for the offense to weather the storm of injuries at WR and along the O-line.
Enter Mateer. And according to reports from spring ball, the guy has been turning heads. He’s looked really good going up against OU’s defense, and that early momentum has translated into national recognition. In fact, Patrick Conn of College Sports Wire has already placed him at No. 6 in his Top 12 quarterbacks for 2025 list.
“John Mateer is the first quarterback on the list who is playing with a new team in 2025,” Conn wrote. “He followed offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle, who left Washington State to join the Oklahoma Sooners staff… He has plenty of excellent game tape to catch up on.”
That existing chemistry with Arbuckle? Yeah, it’s a huge deal. If that connection clicks in Norman like it did in the Pac-12, don’t be shocked when Oklahoma makes serious noise next fall. Just add Ott to that as a backup.
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