Oklahoma Sooners quarterback John Mateer suffered a broken bone in his throwing hand during the team’s 24-17 win over the Auburn Tigers on Saturday.
Mateer was the frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy before this injury. Through Oklahoma’s first four games, the 21-year-old signal-caller connected on 67.4% of his pass attempts for 1,215 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions. As a dual-threat QB, he also rushed for 190 yards and five touchdowns on the ground.
On Tuesday, ESPN college football insider Pete Thamel reported that Mateer would miss roughly the next month with a broken throwing hand.
Mateer delivered some encouraging news on Thursday, saying he’d undergone a successful procedure to repair the issue. The procedure was preformed by Dr. Steven Shin, one of the nation’s leading hand/wrist surgeons.
“Thank God for a successful procedure. Dr. Shin is the GOAT. BOOMER SOONER!!” Mateer wrote on X.
No. 7 Oklahoma will matchup against unranked Kent State on Saturday. Sooners head coach Brent Venables has already named sophomore quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. as the starting signal-caller for that game.
Hawkins started four games for Oklahoma in 2024, connecting on 63.3% of his pass attempts for 783 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions.
“He’s done a great job,” Venables said of Hawkins. “Put his head down, proven understanding of the offense and all of the fundamentals of being a quarterback. Leadership as well. Just has put together a really good body of work over the last several months. Always had a great work ethic. Always been really coachable. He’s hungry, humble. Ultra-talented.”
Oklahoma is off to 4-0 to start, notching wins over Illinois State, Michigan, Temple and Auburn. After this weekend’s game against Kent State, the Sooners will begin preparation for their Red River Rivalry matchup against the No. 10 Texas Longhorns on Oct. 11.
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