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After it was announced that the Oklahoma Sooners' star quarterback John Mateer would miss multiple weeks with a hand injury, there is a chance the quarterback is back for the Red River Rivalry against texas.
Mateer — the Washington State transfer who was a Heisman favorite in the early 2025 season — injured his hand in Oklahoma's win over No. 22 Auburn on Sept. 20, and Oklahoma head coach Brett Venables said he would miss multiple weeks. So far, Mateer has missed one game, where the Sooners beat Kent State 44-0.
As a big matchup vs. Texas in the Cotton Bowl approaches, there are reports that Mateer might be able to return. When addressing the media on Tuesday, Venables said that the quarterback has done no good-on-good work yet and he'll be ready when doctors say so.
Here’s the latest on Mateer’s injury, the Sooners’ quarterback situation, and more.
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What happened to John Mateer?
Mateer suffered an apparent hand injury against Auburn. ESPN's Pete Thamel reported that Mateer's injury is a broken bone in his right throwing hand.
On the Tuesday following the game, Oklahoma announced in an official release that Mateer will undergo surgery on his hand on Wednsday. Here's more via the official release:
University of Oklahoma head football coach Brent Venables announced Tuesday that quarterback John Mateer will undergo surgery Wednesday to address a right-hand injury he sustained in Saturday's win over Auburn.
Venables said the expectation is that Mateer will return to action sometime this season.
"After consulting with medical experts, it became clear that surgery is the best option for John and his short- and long-term future," said Venables. "He's extremely disappointed he will miss some game action but is eager to correct the issue and move forward. As he is with everything, we know he will be aggressive with his rehabilitation and work to return to the field as quickly as possible."
This was a huge blow both to Oklahoma and Mateer, who emerged as the early-season Heisman frontrunner in recent weeks. Mateer has thrown for 1,215 yards with six touchdowns and three interceptions with the Sooners this season. He also has 190 yards and five touchdowns on the ground.
Mateer transferred from Washington State this offseason, following his offensive coordinator with the Cougars in Ben Arbuckle.
How long will John Meteer be out?
While Oklahoma didn’t explicitly state how long Mateer will be out, it’s safe to assume it will be at least several weeks — and perhaps longer with surgery. The school’s release said Mateer will return to the field “sometime this season.”
According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, the estimated timeline after surgery is about a month.
On Thursday, Mateer stated on X that he had a successful surgery:
Thank God for a successful procedure. Dr. Shin is the GOAT. BOOMER SOONER!!
— John Mateer (@John_Mateer4) September 25, 2025Oklahoma beat Kent State, 44-0, in its first game without Mateer. With the Sooners having a huge matchup against Texas coming up on Saturday, Mateer has a possibility to return.
Sources: Oklahoma QB John Mateer is pushing to return this week for the game against Texas. There’s a belief that his return is possible, as he’s reacted well to surgery. pic.twitter.com/KXOKoIDK9G
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) October 7, 2025When speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Venables said that Mateer has done "zero good-on-good work," meaning that he hasn't had valuable reps in practice. Venables said "when they tell me he's available, I'll let you all know," and he is leaning on the doctors.
Right now, it's Hawkins Jr. and freshman Whit Newbauer practicing with the team.
On Wednesday, the Sooners released their required SEC injury report. Mateer was listed as questionable for the game. This could suggest that he plays, but it could also be gamesmanship from OU.
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Who is Oklahoma's backup QB?
In the release, Venables added that Oklahoma' new starting quarterback will be his backup, Michael Hawkins, Jr. Hawkins is a sophomore who has completed just one pass this season behind Mateer.
As a true freshman in 2024, Hawkins saw action in seven games last season. On the year, he completed 63.3 percent of his passes for three touchdowns and two interceptions. He is a former 3-star quarterback prospect from the class of 2024 out of McKinney, Texas.
Here's a look at Oklahoma's current quarterback depth chart:
| Position | QB |
| QB No. 1 | John Mateer (injured) |
| QB No. 2 | Michael Hawkins Jr. |
| QB No. 3 | Whitt Newbauer |
In Hawkins' first start of the 2025 season, he threw for 162 yards and three touchdowns, while also adding a touchdown on the ground.
Oklahoma remaining schedule
Here's a look at the Sooners' remaining schedule for 2025. As you can see, some of their biggest games remain in front of them.
But it sounds like based on the early estimated timeline, Mateer could return just in time for Oklahoma's tough stretch of games beginning in late October:
- Oct. 11: vs. Texas (in Dallas)
- Oct. 18: @ South Carolina
- Oct. 25: vs. No. 4 Ole Miss
- Nov. 1: @ No. 12 Tennessee
- Nov. 15: @ No. 8 Alabama
- Nov. 22: vs. No. 14 Missouri
- Nov. 29: vs. No. 11 LSU
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