John Mateer is the biggest waste of NIL in college football

When John Mateer passed on the NFL Draft to return to Oklahoma for his senior year, the natural reaction was excitement. Mateer is a remarkable athlete with undeniable talent, able to stretch the field, scramble under pressure and generate big plays under unconventional circumstances.

That said, the Sooners quarterback is off to a rough start this season — and it got worse on Saturday afternoon in Athens, as the Georgia defense put Mateer in the torture chamber. Oklahoma fans ought to look at his lofty NIL number with a bit more skepticism now.

What are John Mateer's NIL earnings?

Mateer passed on the NFL Draft to earn $1.5 million from NIL, per On3. Not only did Mateer want the money inherent to a star quarterback; he wanted to improve his draft stock and increase future earnings in the process. While Mateer is absolutely on NFL radars still, any hopes of sneaking into the first round — especially in such a deep class at the position — are quickly fading.

Of note, Mateer did miss games last season with a broken hand. He came into the 2026 campaign healthy and primed for a big year, but the follow-through has disappointed. The Sooners are already reeling from a bad Week 2 loss to Michigan, which came after the Wolverines narrowly lost their opening week bout against Western Michigan. If Saturday's lopsided scoreboard holds, Oklahoma will be 2-2 and far removed from the AP Top 25. The postseason looks increasingly far out of reach.

John Mateer can't handle the pressure

Coming into Saturday's bout between the hedges, Mateer posted six touchdowns and three interceptions with a 62.7 percent completion rate. Mateer's arm strength is special; he's equal parts elusive and ambitious, with incredible touch and velocity on his passes.

But he committed two fumbles and an interception on Saturday before the fourth quarter. The problem: he's far too erratic under pressure. UGA's defense is a buzzsaw, so take all criticism with a grain of salt. Mateer's indecisiveness got him in trouble on several occasions, though. You can't hold onto the football when a play does not develop. You can't force a pass into a nonexistent window.

The result of Mateer's frenzied approach? Plays like this.

And this.

There's a lot of season left and Oklahoma will receive ample opportunities to turn this ship around. That said, with Mateer looking more like a candidate to be benched than a candidate to win the Heisman Trophy, spirits in Norman are understandably low.

To his credit, Mateer did settle in as Saturday's game progressed, but how much of that is self-improvement, and how much of that is UGA taking its foot off the gas pedal? This is not the first time Mateer has looked shaky at the wheel; it might be time for Oklahoma to panic.

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