Ep. 423 - EVERYONE is Talking About John Mateer

John Mateer has been the talk of the college football world for the last 6-9 days. Lee and Grant discuss Mateer’s viral offseason moments and the recent reports about his thumb injury, throwing motion, mechanics, and offseason work to become a better passer.  Plus the guys talk about OU moving its 2026 season opener against UTEP to Friday night, the NCAA’s proposed five-year eligibility model, and a few corrections from last week’s episode! We save some World Cup talk for the end if that interests you. Chapters/Timecodes 00:00 — Opening Take -- John Mateer’s big week: viral squat video, Manning Passing Academy and throwing mechanics 06:16 — Show correction: 31 personnel vs. 13 personnel 07:19 — Lee and Grant reintroduce themselves to new YouTube viewers 10:07 — West of Everest’s role in the OU football podcast ecosystem 12:29 — Grant’s reaction to all the John Mateer offseason attention 14:52 — Mateer’s viral front squat video and Manning Passing Academy look 19:50 — Breaking down Mateer’s throwing motion and release 20:08 — Why Mateer still looks like a natural three-quarter arm passer 21:15 — Comparing pre-injury and post-injury Mateer 24:01 — Watching Mateer’s Oklahoma debut against Illinois State 24:45 — Mateer’s arm angle, release style and natural throwing motion 25:03 — Mateer’s arm strength and the Josh Allen comparison 25:49 — Why changing quarterback mechanics takes time and thousands of reps 28:15 — Evaluating recent Manning Passing Academy clips 31:09 — Reviewing more Mateer throws from Manning Passing Academy 36:41 — Oklahoma’s 2026 season opener against UTEP moves to Friday night 37:02 — Roger Denny’s statement on the Friday night opener 37:51 — Why the Friday opener gives OU an extra day before Michigan 41:04 — Looking back at OU’s previous Friday night opener against Temple 41:20 — Why West of Everest sounded the alarm early on the 2024 OU offense 43:25 — Comparing the Temple opener to Mateer’s Illinois State debut 44:33 — What elite Oklahoma offenses used to look like against overmatched opponents 45:58 — NCAA’s proposed five-year eligibility model 47:06 — How the new age-based eligibility clock would work 48:33 — Why the proposed model could change redshirts and record books 52:52 — Can the NCAA actually enforce new eligibility rules after recent lawsuits? 54:02 — Collective bargaining, unions and the future of college athlete rules 57:02 — Show corrections segment begins 57:52 — Revisiting the Kip Lewis linebacker discussion 01:00:00 — Curtis Lofton correction: best OU linebacker since Rufus Alexander? 01:01:16 — Minnesota football and paying players in the 1980s 01:04:29 — Happy Fourth of July and World Cup talk 01:04:48 — Why the USMNT in the World Cup still feels like a big deal 01:06:02 — Folarin Balogun, red cards and FIFA decision-making 01:10:19 — Soccer replay debate: slow motion, red cards and rule interpretation 01:13:01 — Comparing replay in soccer to replay in football 01:16:17 — Should red cards punish intent, danger or outcome? 01:22:41 — What soccer might look like with a few rule tweaks 01:25:19 — Closing thoughts and where to follow West of Everest Follow West of Everest Subscribe to the West of Everest YouTube channel for full episodes, clips and Shorts. Follow the show on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and please leave a five-star rating and review if you enjoy the podcast. Follow West of Everest on X, Instagram and Facebook. #OklahomaFootball #OUFootball #Sooners #JohnMateer #CollegeFootball #WestOfEverest