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Oklahoma Sooners redshirt-senior starting quarterback John Mateer enters his final season of college football as a dark-horse candidate to contend for the Heisman Trophy in the eyes of most national analysts. After a sizzling September start to last season, when he became the Heisman favorite, Mateer broke his thumb and cooled off during the season's last two months.
Now, after making the decision to come back to OU, Mateer is hoping to regain the form that made him look like one of the best players in college football after the first few games, and he's obviously got the potential to do that if he is healthy.
ESPN identified 10 early contenders to win the Heisman, with still over three months before the season really gets going. Mateer came in at the number eight spot, ranking ahead of Georgia's Gunner Stockton and LSU's Sam Leavitt, but ranking behind Texas' Arch Manning, Notre Dame's CJ Carr, Oregon's Dante Moore, Ole Miss' Trinidad Chambliss, Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State's Julian Sayin, and Miami's Darian Mensah.
For their part, Oklahoma general manager Jim Nagy and head coach Brent Venables have done the work this offseason to place more playmakers around Mateer in the offense, and the Sooners have also stressed having a much better run game in 2026.
Mateer has worked hard to improve this offseason with the help of offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and quarterbacks coach John Kuceyeski, as the stability around Mateer in that regard should only help him in his last season.
There's plenty of pressure on Mateer in 2026, as being the starting QB at Oklahoma is no easy task. However, if he can stay healthy this time around, and regain the form that made him one of the sport's most electric players last September, he can make big strides for the Sooners this fall. If that happens, OU could be well on its way toward contending for championships and making a deep run this season.
Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes and opinions. You can also follow Aaron on X@Aaron_Gelvin.
This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Where does OU's John Mateer land in early Heisman list from ESPN?
Continue reading...
Now, after making the decision to come back to OU, Mateer is hoping to regain the form that made him look like one of the best players in college football after the first few games, and he's obviously got the potential to do that if he is healthy.
ESPN identified 10 early contenders to win the Heisman, with still over three months before the season really gets going. Mateer came in at the number eight spot, ranking ahead of Georgia's Gunner Stockton and LSU's Sam Leavitt, but ranking behind Texas' Arch Manning, Notre Dame's CJ Carr, Oregon's Dante Moore, Ole Miss' Trinidad Chambliss, Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State's Julian Sayin, and Miami's Darian Mensah.
For their part, Oklahoma general manager Jim Nagy and head coach Brent Venables have done the work this offseason to place more playmakers around Mateer in the offense, and the Sooners have also stressed having a much better run game in 2026.
Mateer has worked hard to improve this offseason with the help of offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and quarterbacks coach John Kuceyeski, as the stability around Mateer in that regard should only help him in his last season.
There's plenty of pressure on Mateer in 2026, as being the starting QB at Oklahoma is no easy task. However, if he can stay healthy this time around, and regain the form that made him one of the sport's most electric players last September, he can make big strides for the Sooners this fall. If that happens, OU could be well on its way toward contending for championships and making a deep run this season.
Heisman Trophy winners since 1992
- 1992: Gino Torretta, Miami
- 1993: Charlie Ward, Florida State
- 1994: Rashaan Salaam, Colorado
- 1995: Eddie George, Ohio State
- 1996: Danny Wuerffel, Florida
- 1997: Charles Woodson, Michigan
- 1998: Ricky Williams, Texas
- 1999: Ron Dayne, Wisconsin
- 2000: Chris Weinke, Florida State
- 2001: Eric Crouch, Nebraska
- 2002: Carson Palmer, USC
- 2003: Jason White, Oklahoma
- 2004: Matt Leinart, USC
- 2005: Reggie Bush, USC
- 2006: Troy Smith, Ohio State
- 2007: Tim Tebow, Florida
- 2008: Sam Bradford, Oklahoma
- 2009: Mark Ingram, Alabama
- 2010: Cam Newton, Auburn
- 2011: Robert Griffin III, Baylor
- 2012: Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M
- 2013: Jameis Winston, Florida State
- 2014: Marcus Mariota, Oregon
- 2015: Derrick Henry, Alabama
- 2016: Lamar Jackson, Louisville
- 2017: Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma
- 2018: Kyler Murray, Oklahoma
- 2019: Joe Burrow, LSU
- 2020: DeVonta Smith, Alabama
- 2021: Bryce Young, Alabama
- 2022: Caleb Williams, USC
- 2023: Jayden Daniels, LSU
- 2024: Travis Hunter, Colorado
- 2025: Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes and opinions. You can also follow Aaron on X@Aaron_Gelvin.
This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Where does OU's John Mateer land in early Heisman list from ESPN?
Continue reading...
