Oklahoma and Florida have plenty of quarterback questions coming into Saturday’s SEC showdown in Gainesville, Fla.
The Sooners’ spot figures to be more up in the air after offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle was fired following last week’s 42-25 loss to South Carolina.
The 24th-ranked Gators have played a pair of quarterbacks, using both Aaron Philo and Tramell Jones Jr. While both are completing more than 70% of their passes, they’re also prone to interceptions.
John Mateer has started every game this season for Oklahoma. The Sooners want to see him become consistent, with 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions feeding a roller-coaster the first two months of the 2026 season.
When Arbuckle was in charge of the offense, he and coach Brent Venables were unwavering that Mateer was their quarterback moving forward.
But in the wake of Arbuckle’s firing and tight ends coach Jason Witten being named interim offensive coordinator, Venables was much less forceful.
“Everybody has a fresh start, a fresh slate with the change,” Venables said. “So we’ll see where all of that goes. But players do believe in John.”
Should Venables and Witten decide to make a change, the options are junior Whitt Newbauer, who has been in the system for two seasons after transferring from Mercer, and freshman Bowe Bentley.
Neither have played since Oklahoma’s season opener against UTEP on Sept. 4.
While Venables could’ve gone with a more experienced play caller in Kevin Wilson, who is his assistant head coach for offense, he instead chose the future Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end, who spent the previous five seasons coaching high school football before joining Venables’ staff.
“He’s over-exceeded our expectations just from a leadership, a cohesion, the improvement that he’s helped us make at the tight end position,” Venables said. “He’s got an incredible wealth of knowledge. His communication skills are elite. He’s built trust and real relationships with our entire staff, but also the players, which is important.”
Among the players who have emerged at tight end for the Sooners (4-4, 2-3 SEC) is Hayden Hansen, who spent four seasons at Florida before transferring over the offseason.
Gators coach Jon Sumrall said Philo and Jones practiced when the work week began Monday but wouldn’t say who would start against the Sooners.
“I’m not gonna make some big quarterback-one announcement,” Sumrall said. “I have a plan that is already kind of in motion and in place. … We need both of them to be ready to play to go win.”
The Gators (5-3, 3-3 SEC) are coming off a 27-8 loss to Georgia where Philo and Jones combined to throw three interceptions with no touchdowns, as Florida had a season-low 246 yards of total offense.
Florida could once again be without receiver Vernell Brown III — who hasn’t played since late September — after he had a setback with his knee injury last week.
“He’s working like hell to try to get back,” Sumrall said. “He’s frustrated.”
Brown has 17 catches for 271 yards and two touchdowns so far this season.
Oklahoma has been thin on the offensive line with guards Eddy Pierre-Louis and Ryan Fodje missing extended time recently and center Jake Maikkula missing last week’s game.
Saturday’s meeting will be the first ever between the programs on either team’s campus. Their previous two meetings, the last coming in December 2020, came in bowl matchups.
–Field Level Media
