WSU QB John Mateer has picked where he will transfer

Two days after news broke that WSU Cougars quarterback John Mateer had entered the transfer portal, he has announced where he will play next season.

It’s the team that most people expected Mateer to land with: the Oklahoma Sooners.

Mateer is joining his offensive coordinator at WSU, Ben Arbuckle, at Oklahoma. Arbuckle went to the Sooners for their OC job earlier this month.

It’s been a newsworthy week for WSU fans, and not in a good way. In addition to Mateer now officially leaving, head coach Jake Dickert was announced as the new coach at Wake Forest earlier Wednesday.

Instant Reaction: Dickert leaves WSU — Brock and Bump weigh in

The Cougars will now move on with the Dec. 27 Holiday Bowl in San Diego against No. 22 Syracuse with acting head coach Pete Kaligis, a former UW Huskies standout. Zevi Eckhaus is set to be WSU’s quarterback in the game.

In the Holiday Bowl, Washington State’s coaching staff will also be without previous defensive coordinator Jeff Schmedding, who was let go by Dickert the same day that Arbuckle left for Oklahoma.

Oklahoma was the favorite to get Mateer not just because of Arbuckle. According to Cougfan.com, which covers WSU athletics, an “unnamed SEC school” – believed to be Oklahoma – had an NIL offer to Mateer worth roughly $3 million, which was roughly “three times higher than the package WSU is believed to have presented Mateer.”

Mateer took over as Wazzu’s QB this year after Cam Ward transferred to Miami following the 2023 season, and the Texas native had a standout showing as a redshirt sophomore. He is 16th in the country with 3,139 passing yards and tied for fifth with 29 passing touchdowns (to just seven interceptions). Mateer is also a stellar runner, having rushed for 826 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2024.

Mateer’s 44 total touchdowns is first in the country, and his average of 330 yards of total offense per game ranks fifth.

Joel Klatt: WSU QB Mateer’s transfer highlights ‘totally broken’ system

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