Jim Nagy raves about John Mateer, 'pumps the brakes' on Baker Mayfield comparisons

Arriving as the most coveted transfer during the fall window, John Mateer continues to generate buzz at Oklahoma. The former Washington State standout is almost through his first spring with the Sooners, culminating with Saturday’s Crimson Showcase in place of a traditional spring scrimmage.

The excitement around Mateer has led to comparisons to Baker Mayfield. However, new OU general manager Jim Nagy said he wanted to “pump the brakes” on that chatter.

Nagy had high praise for Mateer through his first spring practice at Oklahoma. That said, the former Senior Bowl executive director said people around the program think the Sooners got it right at quarterback – although he pointed out the high bar Mayfield set amid comparisons.

“I feel like we’ve got a real guy,” Nagy said on The Oklahoma Breakdown with Ikard and Lehman. “I think everyone in the building knows we have a real guy at quarterback, including the teammates. I’ve had a chance to talk to some of the teammates about him, really, trying to ask about John’s leadership and how his downstairs in the locker room. Man, they love this guy. He makes a handful of throws every day in practice where, ‘Okay, that’s a real NFL guy out there.’

“He’s going to make a difference. I want to pump the brakes a little bit on some of the Baker Mayfield stuff. The guy was the No. 1 pick in the draft and a Heisman Trophy winner. But everyone in the building is excited about John. He’s got it.”

Of course, it also helps Mateer brings familiarity with Oklahoma’s new offensive coordinator. He shined under Ben Arbuckle at Washington State, throwing for 3,139 yards and 29 touchdowns while adding 826 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns as a junior. Those numbers helped him become the No. 2-ranked player to enter the transfer portal, according to the On3 Industry Transfer Rankings.

That connection with Arbuckle allowed Mateer to help teach the rest of the Sooners about the new scheme, Nagy said. Beyond that, Nagy also shared the high compliment he has given the new OU quarterback.

“He’s been in Ben’s system for a couple years now, which is huge,” Nagy said. “He’s a new player at Oklahoma, but he’s not a new player to Ben Arbuckle and his system. And just to see John help the other players through it, we’ve had some of the transfer wide receivers are stepping up and making plays. Some of the young receivers are stepping up and making plays. It’s going to be fun, man.

“The best compliment I can give any player at any position when I would meet with them when I was a scout, I would just tell them, ‘Man, you are fun to watch.’ Bottom line, that’s the highest compliment I can give. Right now, going out to practice every day, John Mateer is a lot of fun to watch.”