John Mateer commits to Oklahoma after transferring to Washington St

Washington State transfer quarterback John Mateer has committed to Oklahoma, he announced on social media Wednesday.

Mateer is the No. 1 player in ESPN’s transfer rankings and joins the Sooners as the Cougars’ starter in 2024 after a breakout season. He will have two more seasons.

Oklahoma hired Washington State offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and quarterbacks coach John Kuceyeski earlier this month and has long been considered the favorite to land Mateer if he moves on. According to ESPN sources, Oklahoma fended off a strong push from Miami to secure its pledge.

After backing up Cam Ward for two years, Mateer took over as the Cougars’ starter in 2024 and threw for 3,139 yards and 29 touchdowns with a 64.6% pass rate. He was one of the FBS’s best dual-threat playmakers, ranking sixth among quarterbacks with 826 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns.

The 6-foot-1, 220-pound redshirt sophomore had a top-10 QBR among Group 5 starters (71.4). The Cougars started this season 8-1 and were ranked No. 18 in the College Football Playoff rankings before finishing with three straight losses.

After firing first-year offensive coordinator Seth Littrell midway through the season, Oklahoma coach Brent Venables hired Arbuckle on December 2nd. Mateer recognizes a significant need for the program after starting quarterback Jackson Arnold decided to transfer to Auburn.

Mateer, a native of Little Elm, Texas, was recruited shortly out of high school and committed to play at the FCS level at Central Arkansas before Washington State extended a late offer in January 2022.

Washington State coach Jake Dickert accepted the job at Wake Forest on Wednesday after longtime coach Dave Clawson decided to step down earlier this week.

Dickert and Washington State leadership had tried to negotiate a deal with Mateer to re-sign him for the 2025 season, but the coach said his quarterback wanted to “play on a bigger stage” next season.

“John will be the most sought-after player in the portal,” Dickert told reporters on Monday. “I think he’ll be the best player in the country next year.”

In its first season as an SEC member, Oklahoma lost six of eight conference games and went 6-6 in the regular season. The Sooners rank 94th nationally in offense at 24.3 points per game, their worst scoring average since 1998. Venables is betting that Mateer and Arbuckle, his up-and-coming 29-year-old offensive coordinator, will turn things around in 2025 .

Oklahoma will conclude its season on Dec. 27 in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl against Navy. Freshman quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. started three games this season and was expected to start in the finale for the Sooners.