Washington State quarterback John Mateer is expected to enter the transfer portal, according to a person briefed on the decision.
The 6-foot-1, 219-pound redshirt sophomore from Little Elm, Texas, has started all 12 games for the Cougars this season and could be on his way to reuniting with Ben Arbuckle, his offensive coordinator at Washington State who was recently hired to the same position at Oklahoma. Mateer has completed 64.6 percent of his 347 pass attempts for 3,139 yards, 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He’s also run for 826 yards and 15 touchdowns and ranks fifth nationally with 330.4 total yards per game.
Mateer has two years of eligibility remaining and would be a welcome addition at Oklahoma, which recently lost former five-star quarterback Jackson Arnold to Auburn in the transfer portal. The Sooners rank 121st nationally in total offense and 94th in scoring offense heading into their matchup with Navy in the Armed Forces Bowl.
So far, Oklahoma has landed two commitments in the portal: Luke Baklenko, an offensive tackle who started 14 games the last two seasons at Stanford, and ex-Kennesaw State punter Jacob Ulrich, who averaged 45.4 yards per kick last season. On the flip side, 21 players have exited via the portal, including four starters — Arnold, cornerback Kani Walker (Arkansas), tight end Bauer Sharp (LSU) and receiver Brenen Thompson (Mississippi State).
Required reading
- Ranking the top 30 quarterbacks in the transfer portal
- Who are the early winners after one week of the transfer portal?
(Photo: Craig Strobeck / Imagn Images)
