Washington State Cougars On SI

John Mateer Headlines Washington State's Pac-12 Football Honors For 2024

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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To close out the Pac-12's first football season as a two-member league, the conference released a list of their top performers of the season this week.

Of the six players honored, five were members of the 8-4 Washington State Cougars.

Cougs' redshirt sophomore quarterback John Mateer was named as the Pac-12's Top Offensive Performer for 2024. In his first season as the starter, Mateer was one of the nation's premier dual-threat QBs, throwing 29 touchdowns and rushing for 15. With 3,139 passing yards and 826 rushing yards, Mateer was one of FBS' biggest breakout stars this year.

On the defensive side of the ball, redshirt sophomore Taariq Al-Uqdah was the Pac-12 Top Defensive Performer. The Los Angeles native led the Cougs with 76 total tackles in addition to being quick to help the Cougs force turnovers. He had a three interceptions, four fumble recoveries and three forced fumbles this season.

Sophomore Ansel Din-Mbuh was also recognized for his defensive efforts, taking home the league's top defensive lineman honor with six sacks and seven tackles for loss. Din-Mbuh entered his name into the transfer portal earlier this week.

Dean Janikowski was named Special Teams Performer of the Year after a year where he had to be WSU's placekicker and punter for most of the year due to an injury to regular punter Nick Haberer. He converted eight of 11 field goal attempts this season and averaged 42.7 yards per punt.

Cougs' running back Wayshawn Parker, also currently in the transfer portal, was named the league's Top Freshman Performer. Parker ran for four touchdowns, averaging 5.4 yards on 137 rushes.

In addition to the transfer portal, the Cougars now have their sites set on their matchup with a ranked Syracuse team in the Holiday Bowl on December 27.

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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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