University of Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer’s collegiate career certainly hasn’t been a straight line — filled with scandal, mystery and one big-time transfer along the way.
Mateer, 21, helped guide the Sooners to a berth in the College Football Playoff during his first year in Norman, a season which saw Oklahoma finish 10-2 and rally off four straight wins to end their campaign.
“This is everything I could ever ask for as a kid, and I told myself that like a year ago,” Mateer told reporters on Monday, December 15, just days ahead of Oklahoma’s showdown against Alabama in the first round of the CFP on Friday, December 19. “I prayed for this opportunity, worked for it, and I’m glad it’s here. I don’t take it for granted.”
Mateer, a native of Little Elm, Texas, began his college career at Washington State University before making a shift to the Sooner State ahead of the 2025 season.
Keep reading for a timeline of events and a peek into Mateer’s personal life:
John Mateer’s Parents Were Both College Swimmers
John Mateer’s parents — mom Judy and dad Steve — were both competitive swimmers in college, but Mateer didn’t quite share the same affinity for the water.
“In all honesty, he just didn’t really have an interest,” Steve, a former swimmer at the University of Missouri, told Cougfan.com in September 2024. “But he was very good on his feet. I can’t say his mother and I were. So we gravitated toward the pool, but he was always faster, jumped higher. He really liked the land sports. And we didn’t try to push him. He got to choose what he wanted to do.”
Steve would later become a swimming coach at the University of Texas.
“He had opportunities to possibly swim,” Judy, who swam at the U.S. Naval Academy, said of her son. “Obviously, his dad would have had connections to get him training and get him the ideal coach. But he never really had an interest.”
Mateer recalled those early days well, saying his parents never forced him to follow in their footsteps.
“In Dallas, football is so big, and t-ball as well – I got into those and played both football and baseball through high school and just didn’t have any interest in swimming,” he told Cougfan.com. “When I was young I would go to my dad’s practices and swim through the lanes as his swimmers were coming back and forth and that was fun but he never pushed me to swim competitively. I learned all four main strokes — though I can’t really float on my back — and he taught me how to [play] water polo, but there was no pressure to swim.”
John Mateer Was Baptized in 2023
John Mateer shared a video via Instagram of his baptism in a backyard pool, which took place on the 4th of July in 2023 during his time at Washington State.
“Thank You God!” Mateer captioned the video.
John Mateer Transferred to Oklahoma From Washington State
After redshirting his freshman year in 2022, John Mateer appeared in 11 games for the Washington State Cougars in 2023.
Mateer eventually won the starting job at Washington State in 2024 after winning a competition with Zevi Eckhaus, eventually throwing for 3,139 yards and 29 touchdowns in a stellar season.
In December 2024, Mateer announced his decision to transfer to the University of Oklahoma.
“Praise God!!” Mateer shared via X after the announcement.
John Mateer Was Involved in a Viral Sports Betting Scandal
Before John Mateer played his first game as a Sooner, he found himself embroiled in a betting scandal that revolved around suspicious Venmo payments on his phone.
Screenshots circulated on social media in August 2025, allegedly showing payments from Mateer’s personal Venmo account in November 2022 labeled “sports gambling.”
Both transactions were allegedly made to a Venmo account for Richard Roaten, believed to be a teammate of Mateer’s at Washington State at the time.
Mateer denied the allegations against him.
“The allegations that I once participated in sports gambling are false,” Mateer, posted via X in the wake of the allegations. “My previous Venmo descriptions did not accurately portray the transactions in question but were instead inside jokes between me and my friends. I have never bet on sports.”
Mateer continued, “I understand the seriousness of the matter, but recognize that, taken out of context, those Venmo descriptions suggest otherwise. I can assure my teammates, coaches, and officials at the NCAA that I have not engaged in any sports gambling.”
College athletes are not allowed to bet on any NCAA sport, with any athlete found in violation of the rules risking losing their eligibility.
Mateer did not face any suspension or punishment in relation to the allegations.
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