ESPN analyst compares John Mateer to former Georgia star, national champion
By Jacob Moss
Published:
The No. 11 Oklahoma Sooners have looked every bit the part of legit College Football Playoff contenders over the first few weeks of the 2025 season, and much of this early success has been driven by their new star under center in quarterback John Mateer.
The electric dual-threat gunslinger made his way to Norman this past offseason after spending the past few seasons lighting things up in the Pacific Northwest for the Washington State Cougars, and has elevated the Sooners’ offense into one of the best in the nation.
Mateer’s unique blend of arm talent and athleticism is reminiscent of several former Oklahoma greats, but ESPN analyst Jesse Palmer sees shades of a former Georgia Bulldog when he looks at Mateer on tape.
“It reminds me of when Stetson Bennett was rolling at Georgia,” Palmer told fellow ESPN analyst David Pollack on a recent episode of the See Ball, Get Ball Podcast. “Do you remember how he just knew everything so fast? Like, he knew where he was going pre-snap, and if you’re playing man-to-man and dudes are in crossing routes, then Stetson is taking off. Every decision was so intentional, so fast, and he just inherently knew what to do.”
Any time a player can draw a comparison to one of the best college signal callers of the past 10 years is always a good thing, and it’s easy to see where Palmer is coming from with his analysis.
Mateer has complete command over the Sooners’ offense, and he could end up leading them back to the College Football Playoffs come December if he can maintain his early form.
