After piloting one the west coast’s best offenses in 2024, Washington State quarterback John Mateer hit the transfer portal and made the move to the SEC.
Mateer followed former WSU offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle to the University of Oklahoma via the transfer portal this offseason. In a recent ESPN article, analyst Bill Connelly noted Mateer and Arbuckle’s additions to the offense make Oklahoma one of the most interesting teams in college football ahead of the 2025 season.
“If celebrated line coach Bill Bedenbaugh can’t engineer improvement up front, nothing else will matter, but Mateer won’t need the world’s greatest protection to thrive. Considering OU fielded its best defense in more than a decade last season, a revived offense could drive a top-15 performance.” — Bill Connelly, ESPN
The ex-Cougar quarterback was a major spark plug for WSU’s return to the postseason, throwing for 3,139 yards with 29 touchdown passes, while rushing for 829 yards and 15 touchdowns.He set multiple WSU records with single-season rush attempts by a quarterback (178), rushing yards by a quarterback (826) and rushing touchdowns by a quarterback (15).
Mateer and the Sooners kick off the 2025 season on August 30 when they host Illinois State.
The Cougars are expected to replace Mateer with Zevi Eckhaus as their starting quarterback in 2025. Eckhaus saw limited action in 2024, completing 37 passes on 50 attempts with four touchdowns and two interceptions, while also rushing 11 times for 28 yards and a touchdown.
WSU are set for their spring game on Saturday, April 12 at 1 p.m. PT at Pullman’s Gesa Field. The Cougars open the 2025 season on August 30 when they host Idaho.
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