John Mateer's Latest NIL Valuation After Decision to Return to Oklahoma, Forego NFL Draft

John Mateer is poised to cash in by returning to Oklahoma for the 2026 season rather than test the NFL draft waters.

Per On3.com, Mateer's current NIL valuation is $1.6 million.

The Sooners officially announced on Thursday that Mateer was returning to school. It had been expected after his name did not turn up on the NFL's list of underclassmen who declared released on Wednesday after the deadline to do so had passed.

Mateer served as Oklahoma's starter under center in 2025, helping the team finish with a 10-3 record and make a College Football Playoff appearance, losing to Alabama in the first round.

He completed 62.2 percent of his throws for 2,885 yards and 14 touchdowns in 12 games, getting picked off 11 times.

Mateer also routinely made plays with his legs, rushing for 431 yards and eight scores.

It's worth noting that he underwent surgery to repair a broken bone in his throwing hand on Sept. 25, missing just 17 days before returning under center.

On Friday's episode of Pardon the Interruption (h/t Nick Schultz of On3.com), Tony Kornheiser applauded Mateer's decision to stay in school for another year.

"No, I'm not surprised," Kornheiser said. "He was injured this year. You make money in college, you get another year in college and you go higher in the draft. He's not going to go No. 1 because he was hurt."

Mateer previously appeared in 24 games across three seasons at Washington State before transferring to Oklahoma in Dec. 2024.

His decision to forgo the draft doesn't come as a large surprise, as he's now able to put together a full season without dealing with surgery in the middle of the year. Mateer was listed as the No. 117 overall draft prospect on the Dec. 19 big board from Bleacher Report's NFL Scouting Department.

While the 21-year-old still has his full senior year ahead of him, he'll now become one of the most intriguing players in the 2027 draft class.