John Mateer learned this season not to reveal his injury status to Chipotle workers. “That was me not realizing who I can trust and who I can’t trust,“ he said. Mitchell Leff / Getty Images

Last month, as the college football world waited to hear if Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer would return from a thumb injury for the Red River Rivalry, a Chipotle employee in Norman already knew his status.

Cooper Whitaker, a Chipotle worker, told the Tulsa World that he served Mateer after realizing the quarterback had entered the store. He asked Mateer how his hand was doing.

“So how’s the thumb? Are you playing vs. Texas?” Whitaker asked Mateer.

“Yeah, definitely,” Mateer said.

The Chipotle tortilla presser who spoke with John Mateer caught up with me today about the interaction. Here is what he had to say plus if Mateer will be available for the Red River Rivalry pic.twitter.com/JOuESuyYK7

— Michael thompson (@MichaelThomNews) October 9, 2025

Mateer confirmed the interaction occurred during a podcast interview Thursday.

“That was me not realizing who I can trust and who I can’t trust. It was real,” Mateer told On3’s J.D. Pickell. “I didn’t think he would go and tell the whole world about it. It’s not my favorite thing somebody’s ever done on the other side of what I told them. But that’s my fault. You shouldn’t say anything. I shouldn’t be just throwing my business out there.”

The conversation made it onto various messaging boards during the week of the game. Oklahoma coach Brent Venables went to extreme lengths to keep Mateer’s status a mystery, as the Sooners practiced in their Everest Indoor Training Center on both Monday and Tuesday instead of on their standard outside practice fields.

Venables said during the week that the decision was because it was 90 degrees outside.

“I don’t know anything about the injury,” Venables said in the week leading up to the Texas game. “When they tell me he’s available, I’ll let you know.”

Mateer did eventually start against Texas in the Week 7 contest, throwing for just 202 yards and three interceptions. He completed only 52.6% of his passes in the Sooners’ 23-6 loss. The junior led Oklahoma to a 33-27 win over No. 14 Tennessee last week, though, and Oklahoma was ranked No. 12 in the initial College Football Playoff rankings that were revealed Tuesday.

The Sooners’ new quarterback said that while he appreciates the newfound attention he gets around Norman, he sometimes has to take a step back to spend time alone. That includes fewer trips to the local Chipotle.

“I got DoorDash. I don’t really go out in public a whole lot to get food,” Mateer said.

Nov 7, 2025

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Sam Jane is a trending news writer for The Athletic. He has previously worked as an intern for The Baltimore Sun, The Washington Post, MLive and other publications. He is a senior at the University of Maryland, where he was a sports editor for the campus paper, The Diamondback.