When the Oklahoma Sooners landed former Washington State quarterback John Mateer in the transfer portal last December, it was a massive win for head coach Brent Venables. After a 6-7 season in 2024, OU knew they needed an upgrade under center, and they got one with the portal’s top overall player.
On3 Sports college football analyst J.D. PicKell, who has been very complimentary of the Sooners this offseason, was at it again this week. He appeared on “The Paul Finebaum Show” where the host, ESPN’s Paul Finebaum, asked him about Mateer’s impact in Norman in 2025. PicKell likened OU’s new starting QB to the No. 1 overall pick in last week’s 2025 NFL Draft, Cam Ward.
“Oklahoma, to me, I think will make the most impressive leap from what they were last year to this year,” PicKell said. “This time last year Paul, if you talk to people close to Miami, they were beating their chest telling you, ‘Hey Cam Ward is a dude. Cam Ward is gonna be a dawg this year.’ They weren’t tippy-toeing around it, they weren’t saying maybe he’ll be good. They’re saying the same kind of thing right now around John Mateer in Norman, Oklahoma. So I’m not saying he’s gonna win the Heisman Trophy, I’m not saying he’s gonna be the number one overall pick, but the way they speak about John Mateer, the confidence they speak about John Mateer with, I’m very, very excited to watch him continue what he did in Pullman, Washington with Ben Arbuckle running the show in Norman.”
Of course, there’s precedent for what Sooner Nation hopes Mateer can do this year. After all, Ward played in Arbuckle’s system for one year at Washington State in 2023 before transferring to Miami for the 2024 season. Even with the step up in competition, Ward shined with the Hurricanes. He became a Heisman Trophy finalist and was selected with the top overall choice by the Tennessee…
Source link : https://soonerswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/sooners/football/2025/05/03/oklahoma-sooners-football-john-mateer-cam-ward-ben-arbuckle/83418428007/
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Publish date : 2025-05-03 14:01:00
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