Despite buzz, Oklahoma Sooners quarterback John Mateer has disrespectfully low Heisman odds

However, that buzz seemingly hasn't extended to the betting market. Circa Sports released their odds for the 2025 Heisman Trophy award, and Mateer checked in with stunningly low odds. 

Mateer currently has 30-1 odds to win the Heisman. That is tied with Alabama's Ty Simpson (who has thrown just 50 passes in his career). 11 other players have higher odds than Mateer, including true freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood at Michigan.

I understand that there is some skepticism surrounding the Sooners this season, but in a year of very little certainty, it is stunning to see a quarterback with the returning production of Mateer seemingly thought of as an afterthought. He's listed behind quarterbacks who have never started a game!

Last year, Mateer passed for 3,139 yards and 29 touchdowns while rushing for 826 yards and tacking on 15 more touchdowns on the ground. That total put him fifth in the country last season for total yards per game. Only last year's number-one overall pick, quarterback Cam Ward (who also transferred from Washington State to Miami), was responsible for more points scored than Mateer's 268. 

While it's a huge jump to compare Mateer to a number-one pick, the styles and stories are fairly similar between the two. If Ward can transfer from Washington State and immediately put up numbers to put himself in Heisman contention for most of the year, why can't Mateer? 

If Mateer puts up similar numbers and Oklahoma's defense stays hot, it feels safe to say that the Sooners' win total will be fairly high. That doesn't seem far-fetched enough to justify having such low odds.