Brent Venables, Oklahoma banking on upside at QB

Oklahoma Sooners quarterback John Mateer (10) and coach Brent Venables. USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Brent Venables, Oklahoma banking on upside at QB

By Andrew Kulha | Last updated Oct 1, 2026 11:11 PM ET

Head coach Brent Venables had a tough decision to make this week as his Oklahoma Sooners are on a bye.

They're 2-2 and those two wins have come against non-Power Four teams. In Week 2, the Sooners lost to Michigan, 17-10. In Week 4, they got blown out by the Georgia Bulldogs, losing 41-13.

The big decision Venables had to make during this bye week was at quarterback, where starter John Mateer has been underwhelming.

Mateer has thrown for 883 yards and eight touchdowns, but he's also thrown four interceptions with three coming in the last two weeks of play.

In the loss to Michigan, Mateer completed just 51.5% of his passes. Against Georgia, he turned the ball over three times. He fumbled twice and threw an interception. One of his fumbles was returned for a UGA defensive touchdown.

Oklahoma's College Football Playoff hopes are on the ropes, but on Wednesday evening, Venables made it clear that the Sooners are sticking with Mateer at quarterback.

Brent Venables addressing the #Sooners beat after practice today, and he was unsurprisingly asked about the QB situation.

“John’s our starting quarterback.”

So that’s that.
— Parker Thune (@ParkerThune) September 30, 2026

Oklahoma Sooners are smart to stick with John Mateer at QB

If anything, the Sooners are betting on Mateer's upside with this decision, especially in comparison to his backups.

Behind him is junior quarterback Whitt Newbauer, who transferred to Oklahoma from Mercer two offseasons ago. In two years with the Sooners, he's attempted only five passes.

Then there's true freshman quarterback Bowe Bentley, who was a four-star and ranked as the No. 7 quarterback in the 2026 class.

Bentley has upside, sure, but his kind of upside must be developed over a season or two. Oklahoma's next game is against No. 1 Texas, and that's just not the spot to try a true freshman quarterback.

At times last season, before a hand injury derailed his momentum, Mateer was a potential Heisman Trophy candidate for Oklahoma.

Yes, he's had a tough season, but he could unleash that playmaking ability at any moment for Oklahoma, and that's why Venables and the Sooners have to stick with him for the rest of this season.

Andrew Kulha

Andrew Kulha is probably the only sports writer you know who also doubles as a mortician. Spooky! @KulhaSports

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