Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer, the Sooners’ 21-year-old transfer portal signing who led all Division One independent school passers last year with 3,139 yards and 29 touchdowns for Washington State, almost saw his debut season in Norman derailed by a broken hand suffered in a win over Auburn September 20.
But by October 11, Mateer was back and ready to face his highest-profile matchup of the season when the 5-0 Sooners traveled to Texas to take on on the much-hyped Arch Manning and the 3-2 Longhorns.
Completing 95 of 141 passes for 1,215 yards and six touchdowns before his injury, Mateer quickly vaulted himself into strong Heisman Trophy consideration â and perhaps more importantly, to the upper echelon of NFL draft prospects.
NFL Draft Buzz had Mateer ranked fourth among draft-eligible college quarterbacks ahead of the Texas game, while the NFL Mock Draft Database, an aggregator of numerous draft projections, sees Mateer as a first-round selection who would be picked 26th overall. ESPN places him sixth among college quarterbacks likely to be drafted in 2026.
Based on his performances in September before his hand injury, according to ESPN, “one could argue that Mateer was the hottest QB prospect in the country.”
As with many if not most athletes in Mateer’s position, the quarterback’s family played an important, even essential role in supporting his journey to elite athletic status.
Here’s what you need to know about the Oklahoma quarterback’s parents Stephen and Judy, and sister McKayla.
His Dad is a Swimming Coach
Stephen Mateer fell in love with the sport of swimming at age six, and went on to swim competitively in college at the University of Missouri. But he soon developed a passion for coaching.
Since 2013 he has served as coach development coordinator at Lakeside Aquatic Club in Lewisville, Texas. “teveâs personal coaching accolades include being named Texas Age Group Coach twice, North Texas Age Group Coach of the Year four times, and also awarded Texas Senior Coach of the Year, USA Swimming Coach of Excellence (3 times) and coaching for USA at the 2010 Junior Pan Pacific meet in Hawaii,” according to the club’s website.
Mateer’s Mother Was Also a Swimmer
Judy (Newkirk) Mateer competed in the water at United States Naval Academy before transferring to Souther Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. Her professional career has been spent in the health insurance industry, on the business side. She reportedly works as senior account executive for Point6 Healthcare in Plano, Texas.
Older Sister McKayla Has an Accomplished Academic Resumé
While John Mateer is a redshirt junior at Oklahoma, meaning that this is his fourth year as an undergraduate, his sister McKayla graduated from Missouri University of Science and Technology last year with a Bachelor’s Degree in geological engineering. She also served as an undreguate research assistant at Missouri S&T, and is now a graduate student there.
Mateer’s Parents Did Not Push Him To be a Swimmer
“He had opportunities to possibly swim,” his mother said of the Oklahoma QB. “Obviously, his dad would have had connections to get him training and get him the ideal coach. But he never really had an interest.”
His father said basically the same thing in an interview last year, quoted by 24/7 Sports, adding that their son “really liked the land sports. And we didn’t try to push him. He got to choose what he wanted to do.”
Mateer Credits His Parents’ Work Ethic For His Success
“I saw how hard my dad worked, the grind, and how to be successful you have to embrace it every day,” Mateer said, as quoted by 24/7 Sports. “Both my parents were huge on ‘You have to earn everything, nothing will be, or should be, given to you.’ Hard work was a household theme, complaining is not how we operate.”
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