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Florida’s QB mystery has company as Oklahoma leaves the door open for a switch

Brent Venables puts Oklahoma’s QB job in play ahead of its trip to Florida
ByBenjamin Henderson
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Oklahoma Sooners quarterback John Mateer (10) throws a pass during a college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the South Carolina Gamecocks at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. South Carolina won 42-25.
Oklahoma Sooners quarterback John Mateer (10) throws a pass during a college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the South Carolina Gamecocks at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. South Carolina won 42-25. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Heading into this Saturday, there are question marks surrounding Florida’s QB situation. Jon Sumrall has hinted that either Aaron Philo or Tramell Jones could get the start on Saturday against Oklahoma after Philo got the start against Georgia but was pulled in favor on Jones to close out the game.

Turns out that Oklahoma is also dealing with their own QB mystery and while on paper the Sooners have a far more established QB, they seem open to making a switch if needed.

Florida and Oklahoma both pondering a switch at QB

Oklahoma fired their offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle on Monday and have promoted Jason Witten in his place. This week, Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables was asked if he planned to stick with John Mateer as his starting QB, given Oklahoma is near the bottom in the country in points per game.

Venables kept the door open for a switch:

"Everyone has a fresh start, fresh slate with the OC change. We'll see where all that goes. The players do believe in John. We've got a couple of good, young quarterbacks in Whitt [Newbauer] and Bowe [Bentley]. Everything's on the table... All three quarterbacks got reps [Monday]."

On the surface, it would seem that Mateer is going to get the start on Saturday, but it doesn’t guarantee he is going to finish the game. Mateer fought through injuries last year to rack up over 2,800 passing yards and 14 TDs. The problem with Mateer is he also threw 11 interceptions in 12 games played.

This year, interceptions have continued to be a problem and his seven interceptions have him in the bottom ten in the country.

Of the two other QBs Venables mentioned, Bowe Bentley was a top 100 overall prospect from the class of 2026, while Whitt Newbauer started off his career at Mercer.

Interestingly enough, six of Mateer’s seven interceptions have been when he is not blitzed, and when he is blitzed, he has a TD to INT ratio of 10 to 1. It’s notable because Florida’s defense has found success in the past two games by blitzing way more often.

So it is a storyline worth following on Saturday, and if Mateer struggles early, is Oklahoma prone to give him an early hook?

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