Oklahoma Sooners quarterback John Mateer has received plenty of hype and recognition since signing with OU last winter. However, after being one of two Sooners named to the Maxwell Award watch list earlier this week, there’s one college football expert who thinks Mateer will take home an even more prestigious award.
SEC Network analyst Chris Doering has big expectations for Mateer this season and believes he’ll be named the best player in the SEC and in all of college football by the end of the season.
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“I’m high on him for a number of reasons,” Doering said. “This guy has amazing athletic ability. He’s comfortable in the offense that he’s already been running at Washington State with Ben Arbuckle as the two come over to Norman together. But I look at his arm strength and his ability to move outside of the pocket and make plays when things break down. Everybody knows that he can run the football, so what do defenses have to do? They have to play vision coverage.”
Doering went on to describe several plays in which Mateer worked outside the pocket and made deep throws on the move to create big plays.
“I’m all in on him,” Doering said. “I think this guy is going to be the SEC Player of the Year, and I also think he’s going to win the Heisman Trophy,” Doering said.
If Mateer does in fact win the Heisman Trophy this year, he’ll be the eighth Sooner to do so, following running backs Billy Vessels, Steve Owens, and Billy Sims and quarterbacks Jason White, Sam Bradford, Baker Mayfield, and Kyler Murray.
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Even a season where Mateer plays well enough to be a Heisman Trophy finalist would be absolutely massive for Oklahoma in 2025. Besides their four winners since 1999, OU has had four other players that made the cut as finalists over the last 26 years, but never took home the coveted bronze trophy. Josh Heupel, Adrian Peterson and Jalen Hurts all finished as runners-up, while Dede Westbrook placed fourth.
Mateer follows his offensive coordinator, Ben Arbuckle, over from Washington State to Oklahoma. The pair will navigate their first season in the SEC side by side as they look to right the ship on the offensive side of the ball at OU.
Mateer has impressed many this offseason with his confidence, demeanor, leadership and ability since arriving in Norman. It’s simply hard to overstate how far a Heisman Trophy-level season out of the QB position could potentially take this team in 2025. The Sooners are counting on Mateer to be the centerpiece of their offensive bounce-back this year.
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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Chris Doering thinks John Mateer is winning the Heisman this season
