John Mateer was considered an early Heisman Trophy candidate ahead of the 2025 season, but that campaign quickly went downhill when the Oklahoma quarterback suffered a broken thumb on his right (throwing) hand during the first quarter of the team’s 24-17 victory over Auburn last September.
When something like that happens, it throws everything off for the signal-caller, and that much was evident in the film, as Mateer’s passing ability faltered. It’s no fault of his own, though, just a part of reality when it comes to an injury like that.
“With my thumb, I couldn’t really play ball the way I normally do,” Mateer told me at the Manning Passing Academy. “It was different, which is okay, but I had to get better in a lot of ways.”
Instead of taking time away from the game to promote his recovery and risk a negative perception of his play, which was a product of the injury, he pushed through and finished the season. His reason why is a dignified and respectable one.
Oklahoma QB John Mateer Explains How He Pushed Through Thumb Injury
While many would argue that Mateer should have sat out longer after that injury rather than returning to action just over two weeks after undergoing surgery in late September, that is simply not his philosophy.
Both as a quarterback and as a person.
“I don’t think that’s the way life should be lived. I think you challenge yourself and see what you’re really made of,” Mateer told reporters during a scrum at the Thibodaux event. “I don’t think it’s that I wasn’t made of enough… I think that challenge is just really hard for anybody.”
He learned a lot about himself while dealing with the injury, particularly about grit. It’s that he didn’t already have grit; he just learned to have it on a whole other level. And he learned to come to terms with the fact that he wasn’t playing at the standard he usually meets, either.
“If I wasn’t made of it, now I am, because I went through it,” Mateer continued. “I have no regrets about the challenge I put myself through. It didn’t work out; it sucked. We all watched it, but just seeing the result. I learned a lot.”
“You learn that you can adapt.”
Playing with the injury while not at full capacity is something Mateer can compare to nothing else. But he did find a way to describe it that makes perfect sense, as it caused issues with his delivery, accuracy, touch, release, and just about everything else mechanically.
“I don’t know a different analogy from another sport. It’s like throwing a baseball without your two fingers… I had to hold the ball flatter, be under it. I couldn’t really get over the top of it as much and I just had to adapt and make it work. It was okay, and we all saw what it ended up being, but it’s better.”
John Mateer’s Outlook For The 2026 Season
Heading into the 2026 season, Mateer has a chance at redemption. It’s something he’s excited about for both his team and himself as an individual. Oklahoma has a real shot at contending for a national title once more, and Mateer has the ability to get back into that Heisman race he disgracefully fell out of last time.
After the postseason didn’t go the way the Sooners wanted, with Oklahoma falling 34-24 to Alabama in the first round of the College Football Playoff, Mateer has a message for his fan base.
“You should be excited. We’re all excited. We’re all super hungry. We got a taste of it last year, and it didn’t go our way, but once you taste the success, you become a fiend for it.”
John Mateer Shares Honest Reflection on Playing Through Devastating Thumb Injury