Report: Washington State quarterback John Mateer expected to enter transfer portal

Washington State quarterback John Mateer is expected to enter the transfer portal, per CBS Sports. The redshirt sophomore has two years of eligibility remaining.

Mateer led the Cougars to an 8-4 record in 2024, as the quarterback threw for 3,139 yards and 29 touchdowns while rushing for 826 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground. Mateer finished the regular season ranked No. 5 in the nation in total individual offensive production, producing 330.4 yards per game.

The 6-foot-1, 219-pound quarterback backed up Cam Ward in 2023, playing in all 12 games coming off the bench. Similar to Ward a year ago, Mateer is instantly viewed as one of the top available quarterbacks available on the transfer marker. With two years of eligibility remaining, he will be one of the most sought-after quarterbacks.

Mateer has thrown for 3,406 career yards and was a three-star recruit coming out of high school. The quarterback held offers from a range of FCS schools, with Washington State standing as one of his lone FBS offers.

The Little Elm High (Texas) product threw for 2,449 yards as a senior in 2021, breaking a single-season school record that he’d set one year before with 2,268 yards. Schools like Auburn, Wisconsin, Michigan, Florida State, Missouri and Iowa are expected to be in the market for a portal quarterback this offseason. Washington State will close the year bowl-eligible and is averaging 36.8 points per game.

The transfer officially opens on Monday, Dec. 9, 2024. More than 2,800 FBS scholarship players entered their names into the NCAA’s transfer database during the 2023-24 school year. Removing those who withdrew or went pro, the final total sat at 2,707 transfers. That means roughly 25% of all FBS scholarship players hit free agency in one year.