Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer is facing serious gambling allegations that threaten his eligibility.
John Mateer Addresses Gambling Accusations
Oklahoma QB John Mateer has scrubbed his Venmo account after fans found screenshots showing he allegedly engaged in sports betting while at Washington State.
Should Sooner fans be worried about their QB1? pic.twitter.com/F9LLIt5I5z
— SEC Unfiltered (@SECUnfiltered) August 12, 2025
Did Mateer gamble while competing as an NCAA athlete? That’s the question facing Oklahoma’s starting quarterback.
Earlier this week, screenshots of Mateer’s Venmo account went viral on X. Mateer labeled some of his transactions as “sports gambling” and “sports gambling (UCLA vs USC).”
These Venmo transactions occurred while Mateer was a freshman at Washington State.
College athletes are prohibited from betting on NCAA sports. If convicted of gambling, players can lose their eligibility.
In a statement posted to his X account on Tuesday, Mateer denied the allegations, saying the gambling labels were “inside jokes” between him and his friends.
“The allegations that I once participated in sports gambling are false,” Mateer’s statement reads. “My previous Venmo descriptions did not accurately portray the transactions in question but were instead inside jokes between me and my friends. I have never bet on sports. I understand the seriousness of the matter but recognize that, taken out of context, those Venmo descriptions suggest otherwise. I can assure my teammates, coaches, and officials at the NCAA that I have not engaged in any sports gambling.”
Per ESPN’s Pete Thamel, the University of Oklahoma is aware of the allegations against Mateer and will investigate the situation.
“OU Athletics provides ongoing education to its student-athletes, coaches, and staff on matters related to sports gambling,” reads a statement from Oklahoma Athletics. “The department utilizes ProhiBet, which is an industry-standard service offering comprehensive monitoring of sports gambling activities. OU takes any allegations of gambling seriously and works closely with the NCAA in any situations of concern. OU Athletics is unaware of any NCAA investigation and has no reason to believe there is one pending.”
OU officials are looking into the situation after finding out about it late last night and plan to be proactive and exhaust every avenue.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) August 12, 2025
Oklahoma Enters 2025 Season With High Expectations
— John Mateer (@John_Mateer4) August 12, 2025
Oklahoma has failed to generate any postseason success since Lincoln Riley departed to USC after the 2021 season.
Former Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables has been the head coach since Riley’s departure. Oklahoma is 22-17 in Venables’ three seasons, including a disappointing 6-7 season a year ago.
Under Riley, Oklahoma had two Heisman-winning quarterbacks, Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray, and an eventual Super Bowl champion, Jalen Hurts.
Venables has not had a big-time quarterback during his tenure.
That is about to change with the addition of Mateer, who transferred to Oklahoma after three seasons at Washington State. ESPN ranked Mateer as the No. 1 overall player in their portal rankings.
In 2024, Mateer threw for 3,139 yards and 29 touchdowns in his only season as the starter.
No. 18 Oklahoma opens the season in Norman against Illinois State on Aug. 30.
