WSU’s Dickert: What stands out about Cougars’ new starting QB

Aug 21, 2024, 10:23 PM | Updated: Aug 22, 2024, 5:06 pm

Head coach Jake Dickert of the WSU Cougars during a 2022 game. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

(Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

BY ZAC HERETH

Seattle Sports

The past year has brought quite a bit of uncertainty for WSU Cougars football program.

WSU Cougars announce the new radio voice of the Cougs

The Cougs were left in limbo while the Pac-12 Conference crumbled around them, then had to deal with the aftermath of losing the prestige of playing in a Power Five conference as they and Oregon State teamed up with the Mountain West for the 2024 season, though without being considered a member of the league. That ultimately led to a number of players leaving the program in pursuit of playing at a higher level of FCS football, including standout quarterback Cam Ward – a preseason Heisman Trophy favorite – transferring to Miami.

However, WSU no longer faces uncertainty at quarterback, as head coach Jake Dickert named redshirt sophomore John Mateer the starter earlier this week.

Dickert shared what he sees in Mateer when he joined Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy for a conversation about the Cougars’ 2024 season Wednesday.

“I think Coug fans should be really excited,” Dickert said of Mateer. “He’s waited his turn. He’s really just a grinder as far as the scheme, the execution. He can really make tons of plays with his feet, and he has a really, really big arm.”

Mateer beat out senior Zevi Eckhaus, a transfer from Bryant University in Rhode Island, for the starting job. The Little Elm, Texas, native, spent the past two seasons backing up Ward on the Palouse. In 12 career games, he has completed 15 of 19 passes for 267 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, while adding 151 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.

The work ethic Mateer has displayed since joining the team has also stood out to Dickert.

“From the moment he got here, he was that kid that was out there going through extra plays when no one was around,” Dickert said. “He was the guy I saw watching film in the meeting room – even though he was a backup – when no one was around. And it’s just amazing to see how dedicated he is to the craft. So that doesn’t guarantee success, but it at least creates the environment for a guy like John Mateer to go out there and be his best every Saturday, and that’s exactly what I’m going to ask of him.”

Mateer was a three-star recruit coming out of high school, according to 247sports.com, but didn’t get much attention from FBS schools. His first FBS offer (New Mexico State) didn’t come until December of his senior season, and he was set to attend FCS Central Arkansas before WSU gave him an offer in January just a month before signing day.

Dickert feels that path helped Mateer embody what it means to be a Coug.

“It’s just been a really amazing journey because I’ve seen it ever since he was an 18-year-old kid,” Dickert said. “We signed John in January when he was going to an FCS school, and he carried that chip on the shoulder. That’s that chip on the shoulder of every Coug that’s ever been through this program.”

Listen to the full conversation with WSU Cougars head coach Jake Dickert at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Tune in to Bump and Stacy weekdays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.