Oklahoma’s John Mateer says ‘grind was real’ in first SEC year

TAMPA BAY — By now, John Mateer has more than likely lost count of the times he's talked about his work to improve during the offseason. That comes with the territory during talking season.

One thing that undoubtedly brings Mateer more confidence is that he's a returning quarterback in the Southeastern Conference.

A year ago, Mateer brought hype and optimism to Norman from his one-year stint as the starting quarterback at Washington State. After a fantastic season in Pullman, many expected that Mateer would simply continue that stellar play, if not raise his level completely now that he's got Oklahoma talent around him.

An injury coupled with inconsistent play derailed those hopes. But as Mateer would emphasize during SEC Media Days 2026, having a year under his belt in this conference is an advantage.

"The grind is real," Mateer said during SEC Media Days. "I feel good. It's not easy, but it's everything I've ever dreamed of. The offseason was really good and beneficial for me and everybody included."

Historically, there's something to be said about quarterbacks who transferred into the SEC only to struggle in year one but turn it around in their second. Along with Mateer, the SEC will return seven quarterbacks from last season in 2026 — the Sooners play the other six.

Along with the mechanical tweaks he identified this offseason, Mateer is counting on that year of experience in the SEC to pay off — because he knows it has to.

"I cringe when I watch the film (from last season). I've got to be better. We're all working towards it, we've all done a great job. If the quarterback doesn't perform, then it's hard for everybody.

Brent Venables certainly agrees that life in the SEC only makes you better.

"John obviously had a body of work that everybody was familiar with the Pac-12 there at Washington State," Venables said during a media availability with local reporters. "But that's the cool thing about every year. We talk about Team 132, and every year it's kind of a life of it's own."

No matter how much Mateer might cringe at his first year as a Sooner, he's not afraid of taking lessons from it.

"I've got to be ready to go all the time," Mateer said. "Being a year older, being more mature, that's all natural. Going through (what we did) and learning to control your emotions, taking it on the chin like a man — learning how to be a man. It brought me more wisdom."

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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/oklahoma as Oklahoma’s John Mateer Says ‘Grind Was Real’ in First SEC Year.