Can Oklahoma QB John Mateer Replicate His Outstanding Production in the SEC?

But recent history shows quarterbacks are more than capable of dropping into the SEC and making an instant impact. 

Since Brent Venables returned to Norman in 2022, nine quarterbacks have transferred into the conference and started a majority of games in the league after previously starting for at least a season at their previous school.

In 2022, Jaxson Dart moved from USC to Ole Miss, Jayden Daniels transferred to LSU from Arizona State and Spencer Rattler reunited with Shane Beamer at South Carolina after leaving Oklahoma.

Dart’s completion percentage saw a slight uptick in 2022, as he connected on 62.4 percent of his passes compared to his 61.9 percent completion percentage in six games at USC in 2021, and he averaged 3.3 yards per game more in Oxford than he did in Los Angeles. 

Daniels arrived at LSU with considerably more experience. He played in 29 games for the Sun Devils from 2019-2021, yet he set a career-high in completion percentage (68.6 percent) in 2022 at LSU. Daniels threw for 208.1 yards per game in 2022, less than his 245.3 yards per game mark in 2019, but he smashed all those marks in 2023 in his Heisman Trophy-winning campaign for the Tigers. 

Rattler’s completion percentage in his first year at South Carolina (66.2) was a drop from his 2021 season (74.9) when he was replaced by Caleb Williams, but tracked to his 67.5 percent rate that led the Big 12 in 2020. His passing yards per game (232.8) in 2022 ended as a better mark than his final season at Oklahoma, but it represented a drop-off from the 275.5 yards per game he threw for in 2020.

Payton Thorne’s completion percentage similarly held steady when he made the move from Michigan State to Auburn ahead of the 2023 season, and Graham Mertz improved in virtually every statistic in 2023 for Florida after failing to realize his potential at Wisconsin. 

All those quarterbacks were moving from a Power 5 school into the SEC, but last year saw a pair of signal callers make the leap from Group of 5 schools. 

Arkansas handed the keys to its offense over to Boise State transfer Taylen Green last year, and he found success. 

Green connected on 60.4 percent of his passes, which was an improvement from his 57.1 percent mark in the Mountain West in 2023, and he threw for 107.8 more yards per game in 2024 while adding four additional touchdowns and throwing the same number of interceptions (nine) as he did in 2023. 

A dual-threat, Green also rushed for a career-best 602 yards last year, though he averaged 1.7 yards less per carry, and he scored eight times. 

Diego Pavia had to make an even bigger leap from New Mexico State to Vanderbilt, even though he also moved schools with the same offensive coordinator just like Mateer. 

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As one of the conference’s feel-good stories in 2024, Pavia’s completion percentage dropped by just one point, and he threw six fewer touchdowns while also throwing five fewer interceptions. Pavia was less efficient on the ground, but he ended the year with a career-high eight rushing touchdowns, and the Commodores went 7-6 overall and 3-5 in SEC play. 

There will be adjustments for Mateer in 2025. 

On top of building chemistry with an entirely new set of teammates, Mateer has to adjust to the size and speed of his new conference, something he worked on throughout the spring by going up against OU’s defense in practice. 

“It was really me, myself, wanting to know the difference in speed,” Mateer said. “Obviously coming from a lower level, it’s not a bad level, by any means, but it’s not the SEC. I mean this is one of the best, most confusing defenses in the country. So being able to do it and do it at a high level, it’s been fun. 

“I wasn’t sitting here like, ‘Oh, I really need to try to fit this window,’ but I wasn’t holding back and it worked out just fine. So I plan on not really holding back.”

The Sooners have to make massive improvements on the offensive line to protect Mateer, and OU’s pass catchers must stay healthy to avoid an injury crisis similar to the one that struck in 2024.

But if Oklahoma can keep Mateer upright, history says he can find instant success to help Venables and Arbuckle turn things around after last year’s disappointing 6-7 finish.