NORMAN — With seven games left in his Oklahoma career, John Mateer remains firmly entrenched as OU's starting quarterback.
"We believe that he gives us the best chance to win," Ben Arbuckle said during his Tuesday press conference. "Ultimately, I’m the one who calls the play out there. I’m the one who designs it, and if something bad happens, I believe it falls back on me."
Until further notice, there's little reason to expect a change at quarterback. But that hasn't stopped the inquiries into other options — backups Whit Newbauer and Bowe Bentley.
Bentley holds the status as heir-apparent at the quarterback position, a blue-chip prospect from the class of 2026. With OU returning Mateer at quarterback heading into 2026, the true freshman wasn't expected to contribute much right away.
The situation has changed. Oklahoma's hopes of returning to the College Football Playoff are all but dead following their late-collapse against Kentucky in Norman. While Mateer shouldn't bear the full blame for the Sooners' lack of success, he can sure bear the brunt thanks to back-breaking turnovers in all of OU's losses.
Mateer did not make the leap in development many expected or hoped for. As a result, Bentley's future becomes more and more important. Specifically, should that future be present?
"Always getting better, and he’s always learning," Arbuckle said of Bentley. "I think the more and more experiences that happen, even if he isn’t the guy in the game right now, he’s very aware and hyper-focused to what’s going on."
Arbuckle is still right in his assessment of Mateer — he gives Oklahoma the best chance to win. Newbauer or Bentley, more than likely, are not the saviors of OU's season.
But in Bentley's case, it may be a good idea to see what the Sooners truly have to work with as they inch closer to the 2027 offseason.
Projecting out, OU won't be the only major program in the market for a quarterback from the transfer portal. Blue bloods like Michigan and Ohio State, while big spenders like Oregon, Texas Tech and Texas A&M will also be trying to land a plug-and-play difference-maker at quarterback
Should Mateer continue to make those critical mistakes in crucial moments, Oklahoma may very well want to see the actual development made by their first-year quarterback.
"Whether that’s in meetings, in walkthroughs, during the game, he’s watching the tablet, he’s hearing the coaching all the same," Arbuckle said. "I just think it continues to get him better, grows his football IQ, continues to develop him. I’ve been proud of Bowe, been proud of the continued development that I see from him.
"He doesn’t like to settle for anything. He’s always ready, and he’s one of those guys who’s a competitor, and he wants to play football as much as the next guy."
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