Oklahoma QB John Mateer has amazing reason for trash-talking his teammates

Quarterback John Mateer already seems comfortable in his own skin at Oklahoma, and that's led to a bit of verbal sparring between the quarterback and his teammates.

Mateer lit up the scoreboard last season at Washington State before transferring to Norman, and he's now apparently lighting up his Oklahoma teammates. It's not unnoticeable that Mateer is getting chippy out there, but he recently revealed while talking to the media that it's all intentional.

Yes, he enjoys ratcheting up the level of competition, but he's also trying to keep his teammates engaged during the "dog days" of fall camp.

“I know from playing football, it gets people going a little bit,” Mateer said after a recent practice (h/t On3). “And that’s what you need on this field. Like, this (is) practice four, and it’s great, but come here soon it’s gonna be, ‘Damn, this practice is hot,’ this and that, so you can get everybody going a little bit more. And that comes from me."

Playing a heated brand of football is just his style, but staying fired up and engaged is a responsibility as well for Mateer.

“I’m the quarterback, I’m the leader, so I’ve got to do it. I love doing it — if you talk a little trash, you’ll get the best out of everybody," he said.

For what it's worth, Mateer's trash talk has been noticed by some of his teammates, and it seems to be appreciated.

“He’s a dog, man,” wide receiver Keontez Lewis said, according to Jesse Crittenden of OU Insider. “It’s great having a quarterback that goes out there with a little nastiness to him. So you couldn’t ask nothing better for a quarterback back there, honestly.”

Mateer threw for 3,139 yards and 29 touchdowns last season (with seven interceptions) while rushing for 826 yards and 15 touchdowns. If that talent translates from Wazzou to Oklahoma, the Sooners are going to be a very dangerous team in 2025.

Throw in a bit of "spark" from Mateer, and look out.