The Oklahoma Sooners rebooted their offense this offseason after a 2024 season that saw QBU average just 13 points per game in SEC play (when you remove defensive touchdowns). Out the door was Jackson Arnold, and back to tight ends coach is Joe Jon Finley, who replaced the fired Seth Littrell midseason as the interim offensive coordinator. Now leading the 2025 Oklahoma Sooners offense are Ben Arbuckle and John Mateer
Oklahoma’s newest leaders on offense put together a season in which Mateer totaled nearly 4,000 combined passing and rushing yards and 44 total touchdowns. The offensive reset is the biggest key to 2025 for the Sooners. If they can return back to a semblance of what’s expected at the University of Oklahoma, the Sooners could find themselves playing in the College Football Playoff in December.
It was a significant splash in the coaching and transfer portal market, led by a big move by 1Oklahoma Collective to get Mateer in the door. According to On3’s Pete Nakos, it took a $3 million name, image, and likeness package to land their new starting quarterback.
It was an important get for head coach Brent Venables after his second 6-7 season in three years. You’d be hard-pressed to find a coaching hot seat list across college football that doesn’t include Venables. But in the new era of college football that requires an investment in talent acquisition, universities may not be as quick to pay a buyout as they once were. Instead, according to Nakos, schools are willing to have a little more patience with their head coach while taking a more aggressive approach in name, image, and likeness and roster building.
Compared to paying a $44.8 million buyout, paying Arbuckle $1.5 million to bring in a new offense made more financial sense. Sources have told On3 that Mateer’s NIL deal sits around the $3 million mark. Plus, the Sooners hired Jim Nagy as the program’s general manager, running the personnel department for Venables. – Nakos, On3
Mateer’s $3 million doesn’t reflect all of the name, image, and likeness dollars Oklahoma spent this offseason to attract and retain players. But it does reflect the program’s willingness to take an aggressive approach. Adding general manager Jim Nagy to the OU’s talent acquisition efforts will be streamlined from a football and business standpoint.
Venables admitted when he met with the media ahead of spring ball, that player valuations and contract negotiations weren’t in his comfort zone. Now the Sooners have someone with an understanding of cap management, scouting, and player acquisition involved to help facilitate what the coaches are trying to do on the field.
The Sooners made bold moves to bring in Nagy, Arbuckle, and Mateer. But that’s what they should have done following a disappointing 6-7 campaign. Oklahoma hasn’t been in the College Football Playoff field since 2019, when Jalen Hurts led the Sooners. He’s on his second contract in the NFL and just won the Super Bowl. 2019 was a long time ago, and Oklahoma isn’t content with the status quo.
As opposed to biting the bullet and resetting the coaching staff after a disappointing debut season in the SEC, Oklahoma opted to give Brent Venables more help. They added to their scouting and retention capabilities with the addition of Nagy. They brought in one of the hottest young offensive coordinators in college football in Ben Arbuckle and one of the top quarterbacks in the transfer portal class in John Mateer.
Oklahoma leadership believes that Brent Venables is the right guy for the job. They believe in his ability to build a defense and he’s shown promise with a 10-win season back in 2023. But all of that belief won’t matter too much if the Sooners don’t find a way back into playoff contention in 2025.
This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: On3 reports Oklahoma QB John Mateer’s name, image, and likeness package
