"I don't think about it every day": Brent Venables' QB1 sets priorities straight amid rumors of Heisman contention in 2025

Oklahoma is no stranger to the Heisman Trophy. The Sooners have watched seven of their standout players earn the stiff-arming statue, including four since the turn of the century. Quarterback John Mateer joined Brent Venables’ program as a transfer from Washington State this offseason, but the passer isn’t solely focused on joining that select group.

Oklahoma's Heisman Park features Billy Vessels (1952), Steve Owens (1969), Billy Sims (1978), Jason White (2003), Sam Bradford (2008), Baker Mayfield (2017) and Kyler Murray (2018). While Mateer acknowledged it would be "cool" to join them, he said his priority for now is winning.

"It's pretty clear. I don't think about it every day," Mateer told George Stoia of On3's Sooner Scoop. "I want to win games and if you win a lot of games, that could happen. ... That'd be cool, but I want to win games."

Mateer threw for more than 3,000 yards last season with the Cougars, posting 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He’s a dual-threat talent who Venables hopes can elevate Oklahoma’s offense.

Is John Mateer's coach Brent Venables on the hot seat?

The Oklahoma team that took the field last season didn’t resemble the ones under former coach Lincoln Riley, who guided Mayfield and Murray. The Sooners went 6-7 in their first season of SEC play, while bitter rival Texas made its second consecutive trip to the College Football Playoff.

Brent Venables is 22-17 in his three seasons leading the Sooners. SEC Network analyst Paul Finebaum believes the coach’s job could be at stake if he has another disappointing campaign.

"You can't continue to have subpar seasons at a school like Oklahoma, especially while your biggest rival is in the playoff two years in a row," Finebaum said last month.

Venables’ decision to move on from Dillon Gabriel before last season didn’t go as planned. Fox Sports' R.J. Young pointed to the situation as a warning for Texas, which had uncertainty at the time regarding Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning.

"If you're Steve Sarkisian, you've got to look at what happened at Oklahoma and ask yourself that question, right? ... Dillon Gabriel had just led Oklahoma to 10 wins in the regular season, and he turns out to be a Heisman finalist the next year."

If Brent Venables wants to keep his job and remain with the Sooners, his trust in Mateer will need to pay off. Any accolades after that would likely be just a cherry on top.