Joel Klatt labels John Mateer the top-performing QB of the 2025 season
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Through the first 3 weeks of the season, Joel Klatt believes Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer has been the best player, the most impressive player, and the most impactful player in all of college football.
On a Wednesday episode of The Joel Klatt Show, the FOX Sports’ analyst ranked the top 10 performing quarterbacks in college football through the start of the season. He had 2 other SEC quarterbacks in his ranking — Tennessee’s Joey Aguilar at No. 8, Georgia’s Gunner Stockton at No. 4. But he had Mateer atop the list.
“He was my No. 3 in the spring. I thought he was gonna be good. He has been good, and maybe even better than advertised,” Klatt said. “John Mateer has played excellent. Has he made a couple of mistakes turning the football over? Yes. Are his numbers as good as some of the other guys on this list? No. But he goes out there and elevates the play of everyone around him. We saw that against Michigan.”
Mateer has the Sooners off to a 3-0 start to the season. He has completed 67.6% of his passes for 944 yards and 5 scores through the air, while adding 161 yards and 4 scores on the ground. Mateer has thrown 3 picks, but his yards-per-attempt average is on par with his last season at Washington State (9.0) and he’s a slightly more efficient runner (4.9 yards per carry vs. 4.6 a year ago).
In the biggest moment of the young season, Mateer showed up huge. He threw for 270 yards, ran for 74 yards, and accounted for all 3 touchdowns the Sooners scored in a 24-13 win over then-No. 15 Michigan on Sept. 6.
“He can go to a different level and give his team a chance to win the football game, be the reason they win a football game. Mateer has been excellent,” Klatt said. “If I had to hand in a Heisman ballot right now, it would be John Mateer.”
Per the latest Heisman Trophy odds, Mateer has the second-shortest odds of any player in the country. Miami’s Carson Beck is the outright favorite, but Mateer is +900 at BetMGM to win the award.
Mateer will have another major opportunity in Week 4 to impress when the Sooners welcome Auburn to Norman for a top-25 showdown. He’s also less than a month away from his debut in the Red River Shootout. Considering OU’s rugged SEC schedule, Mateer’s early-season success has been inspiring. A run to the College Football Playoff suddenly doesn’t feel quite as far out of reach. And certainly not if he continues to perform at an elite level.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
