Is OU's Mateer being wrongfully disrespected ahead of 2026 season?
J.D. PicKell thinks John Mateer might be getting unfairly disrespected ahead of the new season.
Oklahoma Sooners quarterback John Mateer has returned for one last ride in college football, and while he helped OU's offense improve in 2025, he's looking to lead the way for another step forward in 2026 offensively. The Sooners have had 21 different QBs (including Mateer) start at least one game over the past 27 seasons (356 total games), and Mateer will hope to go wire-to-wire in 2026, after missing just one start a season ago. Over the 131-season history of OU Football, the starting quarterback position has turned into a white-hot spotlight , as each new full-time starter is tasked with following the greats that came before him and continuing the legacy of "QBU".
The spotlight of being "the guy" at OU can often lead to criticism from outside, and one analyst believes Mateer is being unfairly criticized ahead of his redshirt senior season with the Sooners. On3's J. D.
PicKell, the host of " The Hard Count with J. D. PicKell ", compiled a list of the ten most wrongfully disrespected figures in college football right now in his opinion.
He had Mateer at No. 9 on the list, slotted between two familiar names to OU fans, USC head coach Lincoln Riley and Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel. Top 10 most wrongfully disrespected in the world of CFB Full explanation on today's show: https://t.