Washington State Cougars On SI

Ex-Cougar John Mateer Named Among Top-10 QBs in College Football for 2025

Joe Londergan

Nov 23, 2024; Corvallis, Oregon, USA; Washington State Cougars quarterback John Mateer (10) sets up to pass during the third quarter against the Oregon State Beavers at Reser Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images
Nov 23, 2024; Corvallis, Oregon, USA; Washington State Cougars quarterback John Mateer (10) sets up to pass during the third quarter against the Oregon State Beavers at Reser Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images / Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images
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A driving force in Washington State football's 8-5 campaign in 2024 was the play of redshirt sophomore quarterback John Mateer.

Ahead of the 2025 season, Mateer was named by College Football Network as the #37 returning player in the nation in the outlet's list of the top 100. In that list, Mateer was the #7 quarterback in FBS.

"John Mateer’s swashbuckling skills for the Washington State Cougars captured the public imagination last fall and turned him into something of a college football rockstar...The production was incredible and his leadership equally as impressive, but he’ll face increased scrutiny (and some better defenses) after following his offensive coordinator to Oklahoma." -- Oliver Hodgkinson, College Football Network

Mateer was one of the Cougars' team captains in his lone season as the starter, and was named the Pac-12 Conference Offensive Top Performer. By the time he reached the end of the regular season, he led the country with 44 touchdowns responsible for. He had one of the most prolific rushing seasons in Washington State history, setting the mark for rushing yards by a quarterback (826) and rushing touchdowns by a quarterback (15), and the second-most rushing touchdowns by any player in WSU history. He was the only quarterback in the nation with more than 20 touchdown passes and more than 15 rushing touchdowns.

After the regular season, Mateer entered the transfer portal and followed offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle to the Oklahoma Sooners.

Mateer is expected to be succeeded at WSU by Zevi Eckhaus as Washington State's starting quarterback in 2025. Eckhaus appeared in three games for WSU in 2024 after transferring in from FCS Bryant University. Eckhaus' first start for WSU came in the Holiday Bowl loss to Syracuse, where he accounted for four touchdowns (3 passing, one rushing). He completed 31 passes on 43 attempts for 363 yards and two interceptions.

The Cougars begin spring practices on Saturday, March 1. Jimmy Rogers' first spring game as the Cougars' head coach is scheduled for Saturday, April 12.

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Joe Londergan
JOE LONDERGAN

Joe Londergan joined the SI brand in 2023 with G5 Football Daily. With over 15 years of experience in covering and working directly in college and pro sports, Joe's expertise has been featured in Front Office Sports, SB Nation, and XRAY.FM. He is a member of both the Football Writers' Association of America and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association. Joe holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Louisville and a master's degree in sports administration from Seattle University. Outside of his writing career, Joe enjoys golfing, although he admits that while he hits driver decently, his short game is a liability.

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