Why Michigan should target Washington State transfer quarterback John Mateer

Michigan made a big splash in recruiting, securing Bryce Underwood, the No. 1 overall prospect and No. 1 quarterback for 2025. While Underwood fits culturally and schematically with what Michigan wants to be as an offense, there’s no doubt that that a lucrative NIL (name, image, likeness) deal helped Michigan land Underwood’s commitment.

Key catalysts in the NIL package for Underwood were Larry Ellison, the world’s third-richest person, and his wife Jolin, as well as Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy. While any donation is welcome at NIL, college football’s current landscape resembles a nuclear arms race where more never seems to be enough. You can’t take your foot off the gas, and as George Harrison would say, “It’s going to cost money, a whole lot of pocket money.” This is where the transfer portal comes into play.

Are guys like Ellison, Portnoy and others willing to continue to provide Michigan with a steady stream of money to acquire key playmakers who can make them national championship contenders in 2025 and beyond? As monumental as Underwood’s commitment to Michigan may seem, it takes a team to win championships – the investment must remain consistent.

Underwood may be Michigan’s quarterback of the future, but will he be the starting quarterback in 2025? The fact that this question can even be asked is an indication that Michigan needs to have a Plan B and a Plan C at this point. And not just plans that result in an 8-4 or 9-3 season or worse, like the 7-5 season they had in 2024 with subpar play from three starters in Davis Warren, Alex Orji and Jack Tuttle have experienced. Warren won’t start for Michigan next year, Orji entered the transfer portal, as did Jayden Denegal, and Tuttle retired during the season. What happened at quarterback in 2024 can never happen again for Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore and the Wolverines, and they should do everything they can to make sure something like that doesn’t happen. That should mean using the portal to try to find quality depth at quarterback.

If Michigan wants to be “Leaders and Best” then they should look to surpass the template in Texas with starting quarterback Quinn Ewers and a backup in Arch Manning who looks ready to take the college football world by storm, if he becomes QB1.

If Michigan wants to be anything like Texas or better at QB, they need to become the Los Angeles Dodgers of college football. Get the best players, even if it costs a lot of money, and with good chemistry and good coaches, championships can come. If the money spent results in you winning everything, then that’s the best return on investment there is. If they invest less, they will receive a lower return on investment and their chances of winning a national championship will decrease. Yes, economics and Xs and Oes now go hand in hand in college football. Just as Michigan wants to be balanced under new offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey, there is also a balance between the NIL element and adding high-character players who love football for reasons beyond money. Zero money isn’t everything, but it definitely helps and is undoubtedly very important.

The best and most expensive option was brought to the portal on Tuesday with John Mateer from Washington state. 247 Sports has Mateer listed as the No. 1 prospect and No. 1 quarterback in the portal. Oklahoma is reportedly in the lead for Mateer at the moment, with Miami also in play. Mateer’s offensive coordinator at Washington State, Ben Arbuckle, and quarterbacks coach John Kuceyeski were both hired by Oklahoma. Michigan has an incentive for Mateer specifically not to end up at Oklahoma — the Wolverines play the Sooners in Norman on Sept. 6. Whether Michigan wins or loses could depend heavily on whether Mateer is Oklahoma’s quarterback or ends up somewhere else.

Mateer had a great sophomore season in 2024, throwing for 3,139 yards, 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions while running for 826 yards and 15 rushing scores. The 6-foot-1, 219-pound Mateer will be in his junior year in 2025 and could potentially enter the 2026 NFL Draft if he has a standout year and forgoes his senior season. Even if Michigan is only looking for a portal quarterback for one season before handing the keys to Underwood in 2026, that shouldn’t stop them from looking for a junior quarterback as opposed to a senior quarterback. Many quarterbacks these days go to the NFL after their junior year. That would be a good problem for Michigan.

If Michigan were to land the No. 1 QB in the portal in Mateer, they would have the No. 1 portal QB and the No. 1 2025 QB on their roster, which could have repercussions for years to come. Even if Michigan takes a shot and misses against Mateer, you should still take that shot. That makes more sense than settling for a quarterback in his sixth year of college for a reclamation project or a player who performed mediocrely in an inferior college conference. We’ve seen this movie before in Michigan with names like O’Korn and Tuttle and it doesn’t end well. If Michigan wants to win championships, it should go all-in on recruiting and the portal every year and push all of its chips toward the middle of the table. The Wolverines should try to get the best player available at every position needed, and there can never be enough quarterbacks.