John Mateer might or might not be the starting quarterback for Oklahoma against Texas in the Red River Shootout Rivalry on Saturday. It would be a pretty miraculous turnaround if he is able to return from a broken thumb just 17 days after surgery.
Meanwhile, the Sooners are playing mind games with the Longhorns.
They are keeping the status of their star signal-caller under wraps as best they can before the rivalry college football game this weekend. This latest update from Pete Thamel could be a smoke screen.
Dr. Shin performed successful hand surgery on the starting quarterback at Oklahoma.
John Mateer transferred from Washington State to Oklahoma during the offseason. He began his first season in Norman with a record-breaking 392-yard performance in a win over Illinois State, beat No. 15 Michigan in Week 2, stomped Temple in Week 3, and beat Auburn in Week 4.
However, the 21-year-old quarterback played through a broken hand during most of his fourth start for the Sooners. According to teammate Peyton Bowen, he at no point gave any indication that he was hurt.
And yet, the injury was bad enough to require surgery.
Mateer Mateer flew to Cedars-Sinai Orthopedic Center in Los Angeles for the operation and Dr. Steven Shin performed the surgery on Wednesday, Sept. 24.
One Oklahoma fan went to the hospital to give a gift to Dr. Shin. Oklahoma’s Attorney General issued an “official commendation” to Dr. Shin after the successful surgery. The memes were endless.
The hand surgery was such a big deal that Oklahoma police blocked John Mateer’s private jet from the public eye when he returned back to Norman after surgery. Nobody could see him arrive back home.
That was 11 days ago…
John Mateer might play against Texas.
There is a growing belief that Mateer might be able to make his return to the field on Saturday against the Sooners’ biggest rival. It would be pretty astonishing if he were to play just 17 days after surgery.
Shoutout to Dr. Shin.
The awesome fellas over at SoonerScoop.com were the first people to suggest Mateer is pushing to play. Pete Thamel made it even more official with his report on Tuesday morning.
Meanwhile, head coach Brent Venables is intentionally staying as vague as possible. Mateer has done “zero good-on-good work,” whatever that means.
Brent Venables on Mateer:
— News 9 (@NEWS9) October 7, 2025
“He’s done zero good-on-good work… when they tell me he’s available, I’ll let you all know.” pic.twitter.com/uKylIVqo5y
It is also worth nothing the weather in Norman has been perfect this week. Temperatures hovered in the low-to-mid 80s with only a few small clouds in the sky.
And yet, Oklahoma practiced inside on Monday. Practice was closed on Tuesday.
The Sooners don’t want anyone to know whether John Mateer is going to play so the Longhorns must prepare for two separate quarterbacks. It’s a big secret.
Where there is smoke, there is often fire. Maybe Mateer really is on track to play on Saturday. Or, maybe, these “sources” are trying to create this conversation on purpose. What if the report isn’t real? That would be a big brain move.