FOX college football broadcaster Tim Brando likens the Sooners' quarterback to a former top draft pick, warning that Oklahoma's playoff hopes rest on whether Mateer can take contend for the Heisman
FOX Sports college football broadcaster Tim Brando joined Sooners Roundtable publisher Tyler Jones on The Jones Report and did not hold back on what he thinks about Oklahoma and quarterback John Mateer.
Brando has seen enough college football to know when a quarterback can carry a team into the national conversation, and he believes Mateer fits that description if the Sooners handle business early.
“I love (John) Mateer, and he’s certainly in the Heisman hunt. If they are going to have the kind of year that I think they could have, then he definitely has to be one of the Heisman frontrunners through the course of the year.”
That is a strong endorsement.
The healthy version of Mateer is the one that got people talking early last year before the thumb injury changed everything. If that guy shows up week after week, the Heisman conversation becomes real instead of speculative.
Brando also drew a comparison that should get people’s attention. He likened Mateer to Cam Ward, the former Washington State quarterback who went on to become the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft after starring at Miami. Mateer sat behind Ward for two years in Pullman, which means he spent a long time watching a quarterback who eventually became the top player in his draft class.
That kind of daily exposure can shape a young quarterback’s understanding of the position, especially when the two later work in related systems. Brando sees enough in Mateer’s game to put him in that kind of company when discussing upside.
The first real measuring stick comes fast. Oklahoma goes to Michigan in Week 2, and Brando made it clear that game will tell us a lot.
“The Michigan game we’ll find out right away. I do think they are better than Michigan, but the game is in Ann Arbor, and that place is special.”
That is a fair way to frame it. Brando believes Oklahoma has the better team on paper, but he is not ignoring what a road game at Michigan Stadium can do to visitors. The environment is real. The crowd is loud. Early-season road games in places like that have a way of exposing whatever is still unfinished about a roster.
For the Sooners, that means the offensive line, the run game, and Mateer’s ability to stay clean under pressure will get tested immediately.
If Oklahoma goes into Ann Arbor and plays well, the national perception shifts quickly. A strong performance would reinforce everything Brando is saying about Mateer and the team’s upside. If the Sooners look shaky or the offense stalls, the Heisman talk cools off and the same old questions about the line and physicality come right back. That is why Brando pointed to the Michigan game as the early truth-teller.
The broader point in his comments is that Oklahoma has a chance to be more than just a solid SEC team this year. That chance runs through Mateer. The defense is expected to be excellent. The skill positions have talent. The biggest swing factor is whether the quarterback can stay healthy and play at the level that makes defenses account for him on every snap.
Brando thinks that version of Mateer is good enough to stay in the Heisman race all year if the supporting pieces hold up.
It is also worth remembering how rare it is for national broadcasters to speak this directly about a quarterback’s award path before the season has even started. Brando is not hedging. He likes Mateer, he sees the upside, and he believes Oklahoma’s year will rise or fall with how consistently that upside shows up.
The Cam Ward comparison only raises the stakes. Mateer spent two years behind a future No. 1 pick. Now he is the one with the chance to prove he belongs in that kind of conversation.
The Michigan game will not decide the Heisman race by itself. It will, however, decide how seriously people take Oklahoma’s early résumé. Brando already has the Sooners ahead of Michigan on talent. He also respects the building enough to know that talent alone does not travel automatically.
For Mateer and Oklahoma, the opportunity is obvious. The test is coming fast.
You can hear the full conversation with Tim Brando on this week's episode of The Jones Report, which is available now on Apple, Spotify, and all major podcast platforms. For weekly Sooners content, subscribe for free and leave a five-star review!
