John Mateer found a new level to his leadership during Oklahoma's offseason

After just months of being in Oklahoma's program last year, quarterback John Mateer was named one of seven permanent team captains for the Sooners by head coach Brent Venables for the 2025 college football season. That will likely be a title Mateer holds again in 2026 as his leadership ability was a trait he looked to improve over the offseason just as much as what needed to get better on the field.

Mateer, for the second year in a row, was one of the Sooners' three player representatives at SEC Media Days as OU was one of the teams to get the spotlight on Monday in Tampa, Florida. He was asked during his press conference about his leadership style when he revealed that he's raised his intensity as a voice in the locker room heading into his senior season and second at OU while also walking the fine line that it takes to lead his teammates the right way.

"I've raised my intensity -- we need to be better, I need to be better. For that to happen, we need to be better. For the team to be better, we need to be better," Mateer said. "When the mental errors come around, you let them hear it a little bit. But there's a fine line. And I think I'm only able to do that because when they succeed, I try to do my best and give them their praise because they all deserve it because there's a lot of guys doing a lot of good things."

John Mateer details how he's become a better leader for the Sooners

Although the other questions didn't have anything to do with his leadership, Mateer's answers proved he's put in the time to create those needed relationships to be a respected leader.

He'll share a meal with Trell Harris, his new speedy receiver, to watch film from Harris' time at Virginia to better understand how he moves. Mateer shares a side of the locker room with the offensive linemen, and if that's not enough time with his protectors, he has scheduled plans with the group next weekend. Mateer admits he'll even pop into the tight end room that's full of new additions just to hang out.

"And then I hate to -- you can't get on to somebody if you don't have a relationship with them. So you have to establish that first," Mateer said. "The whole winter, the whole spring, you're not just snapping on people, because then they won't respect you. So you need the respect and then you can go back and forth. You talk to them. And you never want to just get on to somebody just to get on them because some people do it, it's like a reflection of themselves.

"That's never the goal. It's always about the team and we need to be better. So that's what I try to do."

Read more: John Mateer keeps giving Oklahoma fans every reason to believe in 2026

Mateer, nearing five years of college football, has seemingly perfected what it means to be a leader while playing the position where it's most important. And he dropped a bar to perfectly encapsulate a great leader.

"I think a good leader makes them believe in you, but a great leader makes them believe in themselves."

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This article was originally published on stormininnorman.com as John Mateer found a new level to his leadership during Oklahoma's offseason.