Inside John Mateer’s offseason, Part IV: ‘I’m the guy to do it’

Sooner Scoop FootballOklahoma Sooners quarterback John Mateer (10) celebrates after running for a touchdown during a first-round College Football Playoff game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Alabama Crimson Tide at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. Ask John Mateer what has stuck with him from last season, and it's not the moments one would expect. "Texas and Alabama," the Oklahoma quarterback said with a pause, "that's all I think about." Not the early-season wins over Michigan and Auburn, in which he became an early Heisman favorite. Not the broken thumb injury that derailed his first appearance in the Cotton Bowl. Not the thrilling wins in Knoxville and Tuscaloosa that put OU into the College Football Playoff. Instead, two losses months later still stick with him. "There's beauty in the struggle, and there's beauty in coming out of the struggle," Mateer said. "There's a lot of perspective I gained from last year. I think that's why this is the most excited I've ever been to play football because there's so much for me still to prove." That's the connecting thread of this whole multi-part series about Mateer's offseason.