3 dark horses to land Washington State QB John Mateer out of the transfer portal

While the 2024 college football season is far from finished, transfer portal season has already begun, with a record number of FBS players hoping to find new homes and new opportunities next year. We've seen several big names switch schools over the past week, and another one might be on the way soon: According to Matt Zenitz of 247 Sports, former Washington State quarterback John Mateer entered the portal on Monday afternoon.

The writing had been on the wall here since pretty much the moment the Cougars' season ended. Mateer was a revelation this season, an anonymous two-star recruit who blossomed into one of the nation's premier dual threats while racking up nearly 4,000 total yards (3,139 passing, 826 rushing). It was always going to be tough for Washington State to keep him for another year, particularly after the demise of the Pac-12, and things only got tougher when offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle was poached by Oklahoma earlier this month.

Given the Arbuckle connection, the Sooners should be considered the prohibitive favorite to secure Mateer's services. But in this brave new world of college football, anything can happen, especially with a big-enough bag of NIL cash. So if Mateer doesn't wind up in Norman, which dark horse could come out of nowhere and revamp their QB room in 2025?

3. Missouri

Mateer is originally from Little Elm, Texas, just north of the DFW metroplex. So let's bring him back closer to home, to a Missouri team that's going portal shopping with the departure of long-time starter Brady Cook.

Behind Cook on the depth chart are journeyman Drew Pyne and the seldom-used Sam Horn, neither of whom should inspire a ton of confidence as an SEC starter. Eli Drinkwitz already struck out on Miller Moss earlier this month, letting the former USC signal-caller head to USC, but Mateer might be a better fit for this offensive anyway based on his explosive running ability. The Tigers are set for some major change with both Cook and star wideout Luther Burden III moving on, and signing Mateer would go a long way toward helping to keep up with the Joneses in the deepest conference in the country.

2. Miami (FL)

Mateer spent last season backing up some guy named Cam Ward, who went on to become a Heisman Trophy finalist while bringing Miami to the doorstep of the College Football Playoff this season. So why not follow in the one-time Cougar's footsteps?

Beyond the narrative convenience, the 'Canes should appeal to Mateer, whether because of Shannon Dawson's go-go Air Raid offense, the eye-popping numbers Ward put up this year, Miami's considerable NIL capabilities or some combination of the three. A move all the way to Florida would be a big change, but if Mateer wants to put himself on the national radar and compete for a conference and national title next season, you could argue that there's no better opportunity in what should be a wide-open ACC. And Miami should be motivated here, given just how barren the depth chart looks with Ward set to head off to the 2025 NFL Draft.

1. West Virginia

This one might be a little off the wall, and maybe I've just watched one too many old Pat White cut-ups on YouTube, but hear me out. Mateer was an absolute menace on the ground in 2024, using a unique combination of size and speed to flummox defenses. Doesn't that sound like exactly the sort of player that new West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez would love to build his offense around as he looks to rebuild the Mountaineers on the fly?

West Virginia has been nationally competitive in a while now, and they almost certainly can't offer the sort of cash that some of Mateer's other suitors will bring to the table. But with all due respect to what Arbuckle did this season, you could argue that there's no coach in the country better suited to maximize Mateer's talent than Rich Rod. This is a man who just coaxed a 2,000/1,000 season out of Tyler Huff, an FCS up-transfer, at Jacksonville State. Imagine what he could do with Mateer at the controls?