PULLMAN, Wash. — Washington State University is expected to have a new quarterback heading into next season.
WSU head coach Jake Dickert confirmed following practice Monday that redshirt sophomore starting quarterback John Mateer has entered the transfer portal and is no longer with the WSU football program.
"Disappointed," Dickert said. "It’s a tough result. Really thankful for Cougs everywhere that poured into everything that it took to try to keep him here, but, at the end of the day, he wanted to play on a bigger stage, and I think that was the main cause of most of this.”
"The big thing is, they’re your brothers," linebacker Kyle Thornton said. "So, everyone’s super close, and, at the end of the day, you always want the best for your friend, the best for your buddy. I can imagine it’s similar to people in the workforce. When you talk to your coworkers and they’re talking about potentially doing other things, it’s like, you always want the best for them, you obviously want them to stay with you and be friends, but at the end of the day, everyone does have to do what’s best for them.”
In 12 games, Mateer put up some impressive numbers for the Cougs, helping guide the squad to an 8-4 record this season. Mateer completed 65% of his passes for over 3,100 yards and 29 touchdowns, all while throwing only seven interceptions this season. The redshirt sophomore also rushed for over 800 yards and 15 touchdowns, totaling 44 touchdowns this season.
On Friday, head coach Jake Dickert said Mateer was practicing with the Cougs as they prepared for their Holiday Bowl matchup with Syracuse on December 27. However, he was no longer practicing with the rest of the team Monday morning after the transfer became official.
Dickert also said WSU pitched a final package along with the Cougar Collective and several Pullman businesses worth seven figures in an attempt to keep Mateer in Pullman.
Rumors circulating suggest Mateer might transfer to Oklahoma and follow his former offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and quarterback coach John Kuceyeski.
It is also rumored that an unnamed SEC team has offered Mateer upwards of $1.5 million in NIL money to attend the school.
With Mateer's departure, senior quarterback Zevi Eckhaus will start in the Holiday Bowl, his first start as a Coug.
This is a developing story...
