Washington State star quarterback John Mateer has entered the transfer portal, said WSU football coach Jake Dickert on Monday.
Dickert said he met with Mateer on Sunday night after the QB spent time with his family last weekend in Texas to discuss his future.
“College football is in a different place than it was five years ago, 10 years ago, or however we remember it,” Dickert said. “John will be the most sought-after player in the portal and I think he is going to be the best player in the country.
“… I’m obviously disappointed. It’s a tough result. I’m really thankful to Cougs everywhere that poured everything it took to try to keep him here, but at the end of the day he wanted to play on a bigger stage.”
Dickert said the Cougar boosters offered Mateer an NIL package that was “seven figures.”
“It was strong and it was everything that I could have imagined and more,” Dickert said of WSU’s NIL package. “I think our team of people were really invested in that. So that was a big-time deal by our people.”
In the end, it was not enough.
Mateer, who will not play in the Holiday Bowl against Syracuse on Dec. 27, passed for 3,139 yards and threw 29 touchdown passes this season. He also rushed for 826 yards and 15 touchdown and leads the nation in total touchdowns (44).
During the season, Mateer reportedly had a $1 million NIL offer from another school.
Speculation turned to Oklahoma when it was announced two weeks ago that WSU offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle was leaving for the same job with the Sooners. WSU quarterbacks coach John Kuceyeski is also headed to Oklahoma, where he will work as a senior offensive assistant and as assistant QB coach.
Entering the weekend, the Cougars had lost 18 players to the transfer portal, including seven starters: running back Wayshawn Parker; safeties Adrian Wilson and Jackson Lataimua; defensive tackle Ansel Din-Mbuh; punter Nick Haberer; and cornerback Ethan O’Connor.
Fifteen entered the transfer portal on Dec. 9, the first day it opened.
“It’s walk-ons that are unsure of their position,” Dickert told reporters that day. “It’s guys in our roster that need opportunities to go play. There’s also guys that have played for us that have been offered large sums of money.”
“Cougars need to step up so that we can make an offer that’s significant enough to make them pause,” said Tim Brandle, a founding member of the Cougar Collective. “Can we step up, monetarily, to truly make it a hard decision for them? That is our goal.”
They might have paused, but many hit the transfer portal anyway.
Mateer, a third-year sophomore, played in all 12 games last season behind starter Cam Ward, and was used mostly as a runner.
Ward left for Miami and reportedly had NIL deals worth more than $2 million, opening the starting job.
Mateer competed in fall camp with Zevi Eckhaus, a senior transfer from FCS Bryant, for the starting job. Mateer led the Cougars to an 8-1 start before a three-game losing streak to end the season.
Eckhaus threw for 10,287 yards and 75 touchdowns in three seasons for Bryant and is expected to start for WSU for the first time against Syracuse.
“I’m excited for this opportunity for Zevi,” Dickert said. “He’s done a really good job through the course of the season. He’s been a great leader and a great teammate, staying really positive being a backup.”
Dickert said the success of Mateer helps “proves again that our process is working.”
“We’re offering (scholarships) to a bunch of kids that have no other Power Five offers and we’re developing them into something really, really special,” Dickert said. “… There is $800 million of new Power Four rev-share money that has infiltrated into the system right now and backups at that level are getting $50,000 to $100,000. College football is in a little bit of a weird place right now and I’m proud that as Cougs we will continue to adapt.”
Cougs lose two more
On top of Mateer, the Cougs lost two more players to the portal Monday.
Offensive line Fa’alili Fa’amoe is leaving, according to report by CBS Sports/ 247Sports.com. He started seven of nine games this season after coming back from a knee injury. He gave up only two sacks on 12 pressures.
Receiver Tre Shackelford announced he was leaving. He started two games this season and had 10 catches for 144 yards and a touchdown.
