John Mateer Will Return to Oklahoma for Senior Season, Forgoes 2026 NFL Draft

Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer will stay in college for his senior season and forgo the 2026 NFL draft, the Sooners announced Thursday.

Mateer is now set to enter his second year as Oklahoma's starting signal-caller, spending the first three seasons of his college career at Washington State before transferring to the Sooners in Dec. 2024.

He helped Oklahoma finish with a 10-3 record in 2025, making a College Football Playoff appearance before ultimately suffering a 34-24 loss to Alabama in the first round.

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

He 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.

Mateer's 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. He was listed as the No. 8 quarterback and the No. 117 overall player in the latest big board from Bleacher Report's NFL Scouting Department.

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