John Mateer breaks silence after in-season surgery with Oklahoma-related comment

John Mateer is determined to come back stronger after having surgery on his throwing hand. It’s still early in the 2025 college football season, and everything is still in front of the Oklahoma Sooners.

Though a strong blow to their NCAA National Championship hopes, the Sooners are confident they can weather the storm brought on by Mateer’s absence. With the Washington State transfer expected to be out for weeks, it’s up to Oklahoma to find a way to stay afloat in the meantime. It’s not like the schedule will be any easier moving forward.

However, Mateer knows he can still affect the team’s morale even if he is physically unable to command the huddle. Thus, shortly after having surgery on his right-hand thumb, the junior-year QB posted on his social media.

“Thank God for a successful procedure,” Mateer posted on his X, formerly Twitter, account. “Dr. Shin is the GOAT. BOOMER SOONER!!”

John Mateer at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on September 06, 2025 in Norman, Oklahoma.

Onto the next stage

Mateer made sure to ease the tension in Norman with a relaxed statement. The quarterback has become a popular personality through his personal social media profiles, where he tends to post in a humorous fashion.

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With surgery out of the way, Mateer and the Sooners can focus on the next step in the college football season. That is ensuring a full-recovery. There’s a fine line between wasting crucial time and rushing the process, Oklahoma must tread lightly as it engages in such a critical process with the star signal-caller.

Comes in handy

Fortunately for the Sooners, the program enjoys a bye week now. Oklahoma will return to the gridiron on October 4, when the Kent State Golden Flashes walk into Memorial Stadium in Norman. The Sooners should make it out of that matchup in one piece, regardless of who plays under center. For what it’s worth, it’ll be Michael Hawkins, as head coach Brent Venables confirmed.

It’s what comes afterward that makes fans in the Land of the Red Dirt nervous. Oklahoma is built to withstand adversity—being in Tornado Alley assures that. But whether the roster can handle the SEC schedule without their best player remains to be seen.

Fans will get an answer right away, as the Red River Showdown against the Texas Longhorns will be the next game immediately after hosting Kent State. Hope remains that Mateer will be available to join the squad on the trip south to the State Fair of Texas in Dallas on October 11. However, at the moment, that’s all it is: a beacon of hope.