'I really like what I see': Paul Finebaum on the 2025 Oklahoma Sooners
'I really like what I see': Paul Finebaum on the 2025 Oklahoma Sooners
In the transfer portal era of college football, programs now have the capability to change so much for their team over just one offseason. A team that excelled can get gutted by players transferring elsewhere, while a team that struggled can make upgrades at the necessary positions to improve the following year.
That's what fans of the Oklahoma Sooners are hoping happens for their team in 2025. After a poor season in 2024, OU is in serious need of a bounce-back this year. They made plenty of portal additions this winter and spring to try and avoid another subpar season.
Oklahoma's biggest portal acquisition came in the form of a QB upgrade. Washington State's John Mateer replaces former starting quarterback Jackson Arnold, who now plays at Auburn. With the Sooners needing a total revamp on offense after last season's dumpster fire, many believe that Mateer is the key to getting OU back to their high standard on that side of the ball.
That list includes Paul Finebaum, who covers college football and the SEC for ESPN and the SEC Network. He hosts "The Paul Finebaum Show," where he expressed his high expectations for Mateer and Oklahoma.
"I think John Mateer is going to fit in very well," Finebaum said. "This is based on people who have seen him perform out there and those who know the Sooners' depth chart. I really like what I see. It's a big year. A couple of tricky games. The second half of the schedule, to me, is littered with tough road games."
Mateer, along with new offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle, who also comes from Washington State, will be tasked with getting OU back on track offensively. However, Oklahoma's early schedule includes two big home games against Michigan and Auburn. If the Sooners can topple the Wolverines and the Tigers, they should be 5-0 when they head to the Cotton Bowl to face Texas.
After the Red River Rivalry, Oklahoma's final six games are all against brutally tough competition. South Carolina, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Alabama, Missouri and LSU is about as tough of a half-season stretch as you can find in college football.
It certainly won't be easy against the nation's hardest schedule, but with a difference-maker in place again at the quarterback position, the Sooners have high hopes for the 2025 season.
Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams.
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