Oklahoma Sooners hope new coach and QB combo is just what their offense needs - ESPN

NORMAN, Okla. — From a Denny's in Rolla, Missouri, John Mateer settled one of the most consequential transfer decisions of the college football offseason last December. Four months after he won the starting job at Washington State, Mateer had closed an explosive 2024 regular season on Nov. 30, with 3,965 all-purpose yards and more touchdowns — 44 — than any other FBS quarterback. When he sat down with family to discuss his future two weeks later, over 24-hour breakfast a day after his sister's college graduation, Mateer had the attention of every QB-needy program in the country.

The Cougars tried to keep him with an improved NIL package. Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski FaceTimed on behalf of newly hired North Carolina coach Bill Belichick, whose Tar Heels lodged a sizable bid. Miami stepped in with a substantial financial figure of its own, too.

«They were throwing some freaking money at me, man — oh my god,» Mateer told ESPN this spring. «But it wasn't about that. The money was always going to come. The scheme and the fit had to be right.»

The interested parties waited patiently into mid-December. In reality, by the time his name officially landed in the NCAA transfer portal on Dec. 16, Mateer's mind had been effectively made up since Dec. 2. Once Oklahoma hired Ben Arbuckle, the 29-year-old playcaller behind his breakout season, Mateer's next move became a «no-brainer.»

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«It ended up being a really easy decision after Ben Arbuckle came here,» said Mateer, who sources tell ESPN will earn between $2.4-3 million in his first season with the Sooners in 2025.

By following Arbuckle, Mateer, a preseason Heisman