The Sooners quarterback likens the Hall of Famer’s mentorship to "gold," leveraging the NFL legend's elite wisdom to refine his passing game and revitalize Oklahoma's offense
TAMPA, Fla. - John Mateer had some really good things to say at SEC Media Days about the new addition to the Oklahoma coaching staff — tight ends coach Jason Witten.
The Sooners quarterback made it clear that having a guy like Witten around has been huge for him and the offense this offseason.
Mateer compared Witten to some of the best minds in the game after spending time with him at the Manning Passing Academy."There's a lot of guys in this world. I was just at the Manning Passing Academy. I put him on that level definitely. You just hang around guys like that. It's gold. They're just giving you gold all the time."
Mateer doesn’t throw compliments around lightly, so when he puts Witten on that level, you know it means something.
He went on to talk about how much time he’s been spending with him."I'm around him as much as I can. And luckily he calls me and he gives me that wisdom. He wants to share his wisdom and we've seen that in the offense. And it's been great."
Witten isn’t just coaching the tight ends — he’s making himself available to Mateer and dropping knowledge that’s already showing up in the offense. In a sport where every little detail matters, having that kind of resource is massive.
Mateer wrapped it up by saying Witten checks every box. "He's a great dude and to get the great dude and great wisdom and great coach, there's not a whole lot of people like that. But he's one of them, and I can't say enough good things about him."
You can tell Mateer really respects him. It’s not just about X’s and O’s with Witten — it’s the combination of being a good person, a great coach, and someone willing to share everything he’s learned over a long NFL career.
This tight end room got a major upgrade this offseason. Oklahoma brought in Hayden Hansen from Florida, Rocky Beers from Colorado State, and Jack Van Dorselaer from Tennessee. It was a complete overhaul from just a season ago.
Having a coach like Witten, who was one of the best tight ends to ever play in the NFL, is the perfect guy to develop them.
Mateer has said his personal goal this year is improving his completion percentage and staying ahead of the chains. Getting the ball to these big tight ends in the middle of the field could be a huge part of making that happen.
Last year when Mateer was healthy early in the season, he made Jaren Kanak (who had just moved over from linebacker) look like one of the best tight ends in the country. Imagine what he can do with more experienced, talented options and a Hall of Fame tight end coaching them up.
Witten has been around some really good quarterbacks in his career — Tony Romo, Dak Prescott, Drew Bledsoe, Derek Carr, just to name a few. He knows what it takes for a quarterback to succeed, and he’s already passing that wisdom on to Mateer. That kind of mentor relationship could be a game-changer.
The offense has the potential to be a lot smoother and more efficient this year. Mateer is healthy, the weapons are better, and now you’ve got a coach like Jason Witten helping develop the tight ends and advising the quarterback.
John Mateer raving about Witten tells you everything you need to know. When your starting quarterback is this high on a new coach, it’s a good sign for the whole program.
This could be the year the offense really takes off in Norman, and Witten could be a big reason why.
