Where does John Mateer rank in CBS Sports' Power Four QB tier list?

Though the Sooners were mainly a playoff team due to strong defense and special teams, Mateer and offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle helped the offense take a step forward from the disaster that was the 2024 season. However, that offense still wasn’t nearly as good as it needed to be, and Oklahoma’s CFP berth came despite that.

This offseason, Mateer has put in work to improve his footwork and throwing mechanics, as the Sooners will look to improve their running game and skill position players around him. Still, OU’s offense will go as he goes, and there’s a wide range of opinions nationally as to how good Mateer will actually be this season.

Last week, CBS Sports’ David Cobb ranked all 68 projected Power Four starting quarterbacks for this year into tiers. While Mateer was at the top of the tier he was placed in, he wasn’t exactly as high on the list as Sooner Nation would like. Cobb had Mateer as the No. 1 quarterback in a tier labeled “High ceiling, low floor”.

A September thumb injury derailed the early-season Heisman buzz surrounding Mateer. But he gritted through it and got the Sooners into the CFP. He’s a fearless gunslinger who is unafraid to lower his shoulder as a runner. It’s a risky way to live, but he’s got serious upside. – David Cobb, CBS Sports.

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Obviously, Mateer’s throwing hand wasn’t close to fully healthy down the stretch of last season, and a healthy hand alone will help him improve this year. Last year’s offense was often too Mateer-centric, even after the hand injury. This year, the Sooners hope to have a running game they can rely on to provide a more balanced approach.

While Mateer is certainly capable of making magic happen at times, the whole focus this offseason at OU has been on cutting down the number of times per game that he’s forced to do so. Elite defense, solid special teams, protecting the ball, forcing turnovers, winning field position, and a diverse running game are how the Sooners plan to win under Venables. However, all great teams also need a quarterback who shines in the biggest moments. Oklahoma is looking for just the right mix of gunslinger and field general from Mateer in 2026.

• Alabama: Keelon Russell or Austin Mack
• Arkansas: KJ Jackson or AJ Hill
• Auburn: Byrum Brown
• Florida: Aaron Philo or Tramell Jones Jr.
• Georgia: Gunner Stockton
• Kentucky: Kenny Minchey
• LSU: Sam Leavitt
• Mississippi State: Kamario Taylor
• Missouri: Austin Simmons
• Oklahoma: John Mateer
• Ole Miss: Trinidad Chambliss
• South Carolina: LaNorris Sellers
• Tennessee: George MacIntyre or Faizon Brandon or Ryan Staub
• Texas: Arch Manning
• Texas A&M: Marcel Reed
• Vanderbilt: Jared Curtis or Blaze Berlowitz
• Illinois: Katin Houser
• Indiana: Josh Hoover
• Iowa: Jeremy Hecklinski or Hank Brown
• Maryland: Malik Washington
• Michigan: Bryce Underwood
• Michigan State: Alessio Milivojevic
• Minnesota: Drake Lindsey
• Nebraska: Anthony Colandrea
• Northwestern: Aidan Chiles
• Ohio State: Julian Sayin
• Oregon: Dante Moore
• Penn State: Rocco Becht
• Purdue: Ryan Browne
• Rutgers: Dylan Lonergan or AJ Surace
• UCLA: Nico Iamaleava
• USC: Jayden Maiava
• Washington: Demond Williams Jr.
• Wisconsin: Colton Joseph
• Boston College: Mason McKenzie
• Cal: Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele
• Clemson: Christopher Vizzina or Tait Reynolds
• Duke: Walker Eget or Dan Mahan
• Florida State: Ashton Daniels
• Georgia Tech: Alberto Mendoza
• Louisville: Lincoln Kienholz
• Miami: Darian Mensah
• North Carolina: Billy Edwards Jr.
• NC State: CJ Bailey
• Pittsburgh: Mason Heintschel
• SMU: Kevin Jennings
• Stanford: Davis Warren
• Syracuse: Steve Angeli
• Virginia: Beau Pribula or Eli Holstein
• Virginia Tech: Ethan Grunkemeyer
• Wake Forest: Gio Lopez
• Arizona: Noah Fifita
• Arizona State: Cutter Boley
• Baylor: DJ Lagway
• BYU: Bear Bachmeier
• Cincinnati: JC French IV
• Colorado: Julian Lewis
• Houston: Conner Weigman
• Iowa State: Jaylen Raynor
• Kansas: Cole Ballard or Isaiah Marshall or Chase Jenkins
• Kansas State: Avery Johnson
• Oklahoma State: Drew Mestemaker
• TCU: Jaden Craig
• Texas Tech: Brendan Sorsby or Will Hammond or Kirk Francis
• UCF: Alonza Barnett III
• Utah: Devon Dampier
• West Virginia: Michael Hawkins Jr. or Scotty Fox Jr.
• Notre Dame: CJ Carr

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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Where does John Mateer rank on Power Four QB tier list from CBS?