Livescore
Washington State quarterback John Mateer entered the transfer portal on Monday and was named the No. 1 overall player in the 247Sports Transfer Rankings. Mateer is expected to garner interest from a wide variety of schools.
The sophomore enters the portal with two years of eligibility remaining at his next stop after emerging as one of the breakout players in college football over the past season. In his first year as a starter, Mateer completed 64.6% of his passes for 3,139 yards and 29 touchdowns. He also set a quarterback program record with 15 scores on the ground.
However, Mateer has deep connections across the sport that could shape both his transfer recruitment and future success. Here’s what you need to know about the new top transfer on the market.
Little-known recruit
Mateer played high school ball at Little Elm (Texas), which ranked as one of the most forgettable high schools in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. As a senior in 2021, Mateer led the program to a miraculous 5-5 season. In three seasons since his departure, Little Elm has gone 3-26, including an 0-10 season in 2024.
Eric Morris went to go watch Mateer as a recruit when he was offensive coordinator at Washington State. It took some convincing for Morris to convince coach Jake Dickert that he was worth offering, especially because he was committed to FCS Central Arkansas at the time. However, he ultimately landed on campus and became a dual-threat star.
“The kid has a different approach about everything,” Morris told CBS Sports last month. “He has all the tools to be a crazy good thrower of the football.”
MORE: John Mateer holds a grudge about his first snub; Wazzu’s star QB is making damn sure it doesn’t happen again
Next in line
Still, he was an unheralded recruit with offers from only New Mexico State, Incarnate Word, Houston Christian, Columbia, Central Arkansas and Wazzu. He was ultimately lured to the Palouse by Morris, then Washington State’s offensive coordinator and now the coach at North Texas.
At Washington State, Mateer played behind another underrated star: Cameron Ward. The 2024 Heisman finalist at Miami started his career under Morris at Incarnate Word and threw for nearly 7,000 yards and 50 touchdowns in two years with the Cougars. After Morris left for UNT, Ben Arbuckle coached Ward and later Mateer.
MORE: Meet Eric Morris, QB guru who discovered Heisman contender Cameron Ward and has North Texas in AAC contention
Scoring machine
Despite losing Ward, the Cougars’ offense has barely missed a beat with Mateer at the helm. In fact, Wazzu jumped from No. 38 to No. 11 in scoring offense in 2024, pushing past 36.8 points per game thanks to a nation-leading 44 touchdowns responsible for from Mateer.
Despite his background in an Air Raid offense, Mateer has become a serious dual-threat playmaker, which also dates back to his time in an overmatched high school offense at Little Elm. Mateer set a program quarterback record with 15 touchdowns on the ground and rushed for 826 yards on 4.6 yards per carry. The headliner was a 197-yard performance against Texas Tech in a 37-16 win.
While Mateer is not a track-level runner, he should be able to smartly take advantage of defense and create offense for himself. He ranked top-five nationally in total offense at 330.4 yards per game.
MORE: Facing an uncertain future, Washington State is controlling its own narrative by winning on the field
As the best player in the transfer portal, Mateer is sure to have suitors all over the nation. It’s a stark difference to his experience as a high school player, when he was primarily pursued by FCS schools. However, it’s hard to ignore all the connections that Mateer has to Oklahoma.
The Sooners hired Washington State offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle to the same position over the offseason. Later, they added Mateer’s Wazzu quarterbacks coach John Kuceyeski as a senior offensive assistant, according to 247Sports. Also, Mateer’s hometown of Little Elm, Texas, is only an hour from the Texas-Oklahoma border. The Sooners became one of the top programs in college football history largely thriving in the DFW Metroplex.
In stark contrast to the NFL quarterback pipeline of the Lincoln Riley years, Oklahoma has a gaping hole at the position in 2025. Starter Jackson Arnold transferred to Auburn, but the passing offense led only Houston, Michigan and Iowa among power conference teams. Oklahoma desperately needs both Mateer’s running and throwing ability to revitalize a moribund offense. Ironically, Mateer actually played in the same high school district as Arnold.
However, the market for quarterbacks will be off the charts. Miami, home of Mateer’s former teammate Ward, could also make a strong push. Everything is on the table.
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