Sam Bradford jokes about tutoring John Mateer in the OU film room

Oklahoma Sooners quarterback John Mateer has spent part of his offseason studying film with one of the program’s most accomplished former quarterbacks, Sam Bradford, and the meeting came with a joke that shows how seriously OU’s quarterback tradition is treated by even its legends. According to Bradford’s comments, the two did the expected football work, including watching tape and talking about the ball, but Bradford also suggested the experience was fun for him in a way that put him ahead of his student.

Bradford told SoonerScoop that he “probably had more fun than he did,” referring to Mateer’s time with him in the film room. He described the appeal of being back around the process, emphasizing that he enjoyed “just being back in the film room, watching tape, being able to talk about the ball.” The remarks were shared in connection with Bradford’s outreach to Mateer and the informal way their offseason session developed, turning what could have been a one-time tutoring moment into a deeper football conversation.

The account also includes how the connection started. Bradford said he is a fan of the Sooners and has watched Mateer play during the season. He added that he has met Mateer “a couple of times at practice,” and after the season, he is not entirely sure how they ended up crossing paths in person. Bradford then described coming to Norman one day and beginning with a small amount of tape viewing, after which “it just kind of went from there.”

Mateer’s role in the story is tied to OU’s current quarterback picture, where the program’s recruiting and development emphasis is typically centered on finding a passer who can command the offense week to week. The offseason film-room exchange with Bradford is being framed as part of shaping Mateer’s preparation as he works to solidify his standing within Oklahoma’s quarterback group.

The backdrop matters because Oklahoma has long treated quarterback development as both a football craft and a cultural inheritance. Bradford, whose Sooner career became one of the benchmarks for quarterback excellence in program history, positioning himself as a hands-on resource for an incoming Sooners passer underscores that OU’s quarterback identity extends beyond recruiting highlights and into mentorship.

For Mateer, the most immediate takeaway is what the Bradford account actually describes, repeated quarterback-specific study and conversation. For OU, it reinforces a common recruiting theme that has helped the program remain attractive to quarterbacks, namely that learning from former stars is not just ceremonial. The next step is how that film-room work translates to spring and fall execution, where Oklahoma will look for a quarterback to process, adjust, and lead with consistent command.