Most people only know John Mateer’s name from this season of Cougar football, but Mateer has been in Washington State’s program for three years.
His first two were behind former Coug Cameron Ward learning, growing, and developing. Once Mateer was given a starting role, he took charge and never looked back.
After leading the Cougars to an 8-4 season and leading the country in total touchdowns, Mateer has entered the transfer portal and will look for a new home.
“At the end of the day, he wanted to play on a bigger stage,” said head coach Jake Dickert.
The ‘bigger stage’ is something WSU will continue to be up against: the power four conference programs with the ‘blue blood’ money.
Washington State put together an NIL package with the help of the Cougar Collective in an attempt to keep Mateer. Dickert confirms it was a ‘seven figure deal’.
Even though Mateer is a recent addition to the portal, he will likely be without a team for a short period of time. Rumors have been swirling that Mateer was contacted by several schools during the regular season with offers.
Programs are not supposed to reach out to players until they have officially entered the transfer portal, but Dickert knows that’s not the case with guys on his roster.
“I think the first step is realizing there are no rules,” said Dickert. “If you’re not recruiting other people’s rosters in today’s world, you’re falling behind.”
On Monday, Dickert said he’s excited to give backup quarterback the starting reps ahead of the Holiday Bowl vs. Syracuse on December 27.
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