John Mateer loves Oklahoma's offensive weapons heading into 2025

USA Today

5 days ago

Oklahoma Sooners quarterback John Mateer addressed the media at SEC media days this week, and while much of the talk centered on what it's been like adjusting to his new team and his relationship with offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle, Mateer made sure to steer the conversation towards his weapons on the offensive side of the ball.
Of course, OU didn't have very many offensive weapons to speak of last season, especially in the passing game. That has been one of the coaching staff's main priorities this offseason: bringing in players who can stay healthy and provide the offense with reliable production. But the Sooners still have some uncertainty about who the primary weapons will be this season when Arbuckle and Mateer are at the controls.
One of the biggest non-Mateer roster additions of OU's entire offseason came in the spring transfer portal window. That came in the form of former Cal running back Jaydn Ott, who Mateer thinks brings a lot of versatility to the backfield and to the offense.
"He's pretty good," Mateer said. "He's super dynamic, catch the ball, run the ball, blocking and everything that comes with playing running back, he's pretty good at it. Him and all the running backs are super good and real promising so far."
Perhaps Oklahoma's biggest returning pass-catcher is wide receiver Deion Burks, who delayed going pro in favor of one more collegiate season. Burks dealt with multiple injuries last year, but hopes to break out in Norman in 2025. Mateer raved about the dynamic player and how resilient he has been.
"I'm super proud of Deion," Mateer said. "He had a rough year last year, on and off the field. But he's super promising. He cares a lot about football, and he cares a lot about the Sooners. I'm super happy for him and proud of him, just where he's came with his body and his mind. He knows the game of football a lot better this year than he did last year. Super proud of him. I'm real excited to play with him."
Another newcomer to the team who joined Ott in Oklahoma's spring transfer portal haul is former McNeese wide receiver Jer'Michael Carter. The big wideout hasn't been with the Sooners long, but Mateer likes what he sees from Carter and the rest of the WRs.
"I really like J-Mike," Mateer said. "J-Mike loves being a Sooner and loves being in the building. With all of them, it's been promising. We spent a lot of time together on and off the field, spending a lot of time throwing the ball to each other and just learning how I think and how they think and what they like to run, what they don't like to run and how it should be ran. We've still got room to go, of course, but we'll get there."
Mateer was also asked about the hype surrounding the 2025 OU offense, with many predicting things will be far better than they were in 2024. But he says that inside the building, the team isn't too concerned with the outside noise.
"We don't really worry about it in the building," Mateer said. "I think we're all excited in our own, not because of what anybody on the outside says but because of the work we've put in. Personally, my confidence comes from the work I put in, and I think we've done a good job. I think we're going to do some good things. We've got a lot of good players, and it's going to be a lot of fun to watch."
While this Sooner offense has a lot of unknowns, there's also the presence of solid potential. But Mateer knows he won't be able to do it alone. Hearing him speak glowingly about his confidence in his offensive weapons is what Oklahoma fans want to hear with a few weeks left until Week 1.
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