Sometimes, it takes only one match to judge a player’s ability. Most often, it takes a whole season, and in very rare cases, it takes 3 years for a player to make his mark. Mateer joined Washington State with as little glamour and hype as one can imagine. Sure, the Washington State HC Jake Dickert was skeptical about his abilities from his high school days. And it took some convincing from Eric Morris (then Cougars’ OC) to recruit him. Even then, he was always lurking in the shadows of Cam Ward. A player who wasn’t quite stopping with his heroics at Washington State. However, after waiting 2 seasons and sitting on the bench for the most part of his initial 2 years, he did get his breakthrough in the 2024 season. And, boy, did he perform.

Portland State Vikings’ fate was written much prior to the team’s arrival at Martin Stadium. As the 2024 season opened with Mateer in his first game as a starter donning the Crimson and Grey, he took it personally. 64% pass completion rate for 352 yards with 0 interceptions and 6 touchdowns. The clock struck zero, and the score read 70-30 for Mateer and the Vikings. The demolition was done, the redemption completed, and Mateer had just arrived in college football. It was a story that just started with a statement.  And in the better part of the season, Mateer just was unstoppable. 3,139 yards, 64% completion rate, and 29 TDs made him the hottest commodity in the country (ranked 1st in transfer rankings by 247)  when he entered the transfer portal. And then came one of the biggest programs of college football calling,

He joined the Oklahoma Sooners after an incredible season on his back. And will be replacing Jackson Arnold, who transferred to Auburn. The abilities of Mateer are not at all in doubt, but there’s something. Steve Lasson, a football analyst at Athlon Sports, weighed on the issue, “He‘s probably the biggest wild card of these quarterbacks. You know how he makes that transition from playing a Mountain West schedule to the SEC. I think he’s got some room to improve as a passer, but going in the same system with a talented transfer group that Oklahoma has at receiver Dion Burks, you could see this hitting right away you could also see this as it’s a pretty big jump to go from the Mountain West essentially to the SEC”.  And, Steve does, raise a very important question. Take, for example, the strength of schedule rankings of 2024. The Sooners rank 6th, while Washington State ranks 90th, marking a humongous transition to begin with. So, will Mateer deliver in the high-stakes SEC?

Steven answered the question of whether he would pick Jackson Arnold over Mateer and provided the answer, “If you asked me before last season, the answer would have been different, and I still think that there’s an I think Arnold can still be a good quarterback in the SEC. I just think at this point if you’re Oklahoma to get a guy (Mateer) who was that prolific and he knows the offense already he is day one ready to step into your starting job I think you have to go with that“. While Steven was still a bit skeptical about the prospect, he still picked Mateer. But also potentially warned that he has a lot to prove in SEC. Now it seems that on the other front, the Sooner’s Head Coach, with his recent decision, has made his job a bit easier.

Venables’ staff conundrum solved?

Well, the Sooners were in a bit of a recruiting war when they went all in to hire Jim Knowles as their Defensive Coordinator. The vacancy at the DC position came after Jack Alley left for West Virginia. That left Venables in a bit of a conundrum. And thus, initially, the hiring of Jim Knowles became the top agenda. So much so that they were even prepared to offer around $3 Million a year to Knowles. However, their efforts were outmatched by other programs, and eventually, Penn State ended up landing Knowles. They offered him a $3.2 Million per year salary and outmatched Venables. So, what did Venables do?

“I have reflected on all facets of our program over the past several weeks. Since I was hired as head coach, we have carefully assembled the defensive personnel and scheme that is suited to compete at the highest level…To that end, I will take over defensive play-calling responsibilities for the 2025 season”. The words released in a statement by Venables on Jan 31 almost came as a boon for Sooners. The head coach himself taking the reigns of the DC department was a blessing in disguise. It was a role Venables is very familiar with. After all, his tenure at Clemson as DC brought them 2 National Championships. And a solid foundation for their later exploits. So, the news is a major relief for the Sooners fans and also for Mateer. They will also want the best in business to help him achieve glory at Sooners. The verdict?

Well, the Sooners are looking very ready for their 2025 season. But their main worry would be their schedule, which would see them face opponents like Texas State, South Carolina, Michigan, and Alabama, among others. They are the only team in the SEC that will be facing the top 25 teams in the country 9 times in the season. Which would definitely pose a major challenge. But, if Meteer performs as he performed in Washington State, it would just be the cakewalk the Sooners would want.