Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer will return to college rather than enter the 2026 NFL Draft.
The Pittsburgh Steelers desperately need to find their next franchise quarterback. But the pickings in the 2026 NFL Draft class may be slim at the position and getting slimmer with the latest news on Oklahoma signal-caller John Mateer.
According to ESPN, the Oklahoma Sooners announced Thursday night Mateer will return to school in 2026.
Mateer’s draft stock fell during the second half of 2025, which is likely a significant factor for why he will be back at Oklahoma. But he now won’t be available for an NFL team to select until 2027.
Mateer was one of many college quarterbacks hyped as a potential first-round pick early in the 2025 season who is returning to school. On Wednesday, Oregon’s Dante Moore told ESPN he will be back with the Ducks next season too.
Texas’ Arch Manning and South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers are returning to school as well.
The Steelers are one of the most quarterback-needy teams in the league entering this offseason. They have started an over-the-hill Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson for a majority of their games the past two seasons.
The Steelers potentially selecting Mateer in front of the home crowd at the 2026 NFL Draft dates back to even before the 2025 season started.
On August 27, CBS Sports’ Mike Renner projected Mateer to land with Pittsburgh at No. 13 overall in the first round.
“John Mateer has arguably the best arm talent in the entire draft class and goes to a division in the AFC North where that’s a necessity,” Renner wrote. “He showed growth in his first season as a starter and now has a chance to blow up in his first season with the Sooners after transferring from Washington State.”
In addition to his strong arm, Mateer has dual-threat capabilities. He ran for 826 yards and 15 touchdowns at Washington State in 2024.
But Mateer took a step backwards during his first season at Oklahoma. He had fewer passing yards and touchdowns while throwing more interceptions during 2025 than 2024. Mateer also averaged fewer rushing yards per carry and scored fewer rushing touchdowns.
Steelers Now’s Alan Saunders argued a hand injury likely played a role in Mateer’s statistical decline during 2025.
“Mateer saw his draft stock fall from a high of the middle of the first round by the middle of the season, likely a result of an injury to his throwing hand,” Saunders wrote. “Mateer suffered the injury on Sept. 20 and missed just one game before returning, despite having surgery.”
With Mateer and Moore pushing back their NFL eligibility, the quarterback class for 2026 looks very thin. Only Heisman trophy winner Fernando Mendoza enters the draft process as a clear-cut first-round pick, and he appears set to go at No. 1 overall.
The next best quarterbacks after Mendoza, according to ESPN’s Field Yates, are Ty Simpson, Trinidad Chambliss, Drew Allar and Cade Klubnik.
The Steelers could be in the mix for any of those signal-callers. There’s a long way to go in the NFL Draft process. However, all of them are currently considered reaches at No. 21 overall, which is where the Steelers are picking.
Whether the organization rolls the dice on any of those signal-callers will likely greatly depend on the team’s next head coach. But with the thin quarterback class in 2026, it’s very possible the Steelers could explore the free agent market yet again.
