Washington State transfer quarterback and 247Sports’ No. 1 available transfer portal prospect John Mateer has committed to Oklahoma, he announced on social media Wednesday. Mateer gives the Sooners an immediate starter for the 2025 season to replace former blue-chip quarterback Jackson Arnold, who transferred to Auburn last week.
Mateer excelled in his only year as starter at Washington State, completing 64.6% of his passes for 3,139 yards and 29 touchdowns. He also set a quarterback program record with 15 scores on the ground. He will have two years of eligibility remaining.
Despite losing star quarterback Cameron Ward to Miami, Washington State’s offense improved with Mateer at the helm. Wazzu jumped from No. 38 to No. 11 in scoring offense in 2024, pushing past 36.8 points per game thanks to a nation-leading 44 total touchdowns from Mateer.
Oklahoma hired former Washington State offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle in a similar role earlier this month, making Mateer a the logical fit to run his offense in the SEC.
Money year for Brent Venables
Oklahoma coach Brent Venables is set to enter the most important offseason of his tenure after going 6-6 in his third season at the school in 2024. After star quarterback Dillon Gabriel departed Oklahoma last season, the program felt as if it had its quarterback of the present and future in Arnold. Those plans never fully came to fruition. Thanks in part to a rash of injuries to the reciever and offensive line rooms, the offense never clicked with Arnold at the helm. Oklahoma averaged just 167.6 yards per game through the air on the year.
With Arnold transferring to Auburn, Mateer takes the reins of the Sooner offense. His familiarity with Arbuckle’s system should make him an easy plug-and-play starter as Oklahoma looks to rebuild on offense. The Sooners will need all the firepower they can get as they navigate one of the nation’s toughest schedules with dates against Michigan, Alabama, South Carolina, Auburn, Texas, LSU, Ole Miss and Missouri among others.
Oklahoma has Deion Burks returning amid a receiver corps that has otherwise been pillaged. But a healthier room and a few other additions could quickly change Oklahoma’s 2025 outlook after an atrocious offensive campaign.
What kind of player is Oklahoma getting?
Mateer was one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the country this season. He rushed for 826 yards on 4.6 yards per carry and 15 touchdowns. Mateer’s best performance as a runner came against Texas Tech when he ran for 197 yards in a 37-16 win. He did plenty of damage with his arm as well, posting four games with at least 300 yards passing last season headlined by a 390-yard performance in the Cougars’ dramatic 54-52 double-overtime win over San Jose State.
Miami misses out on Mateer
While Oklahoma seemed like the logical destination for Mateer because of his connection with Arbuckle, 247Sports reported that Miami was “aggressively” looking to get into the mix to land the No. 1 ranked player in the transfer portal to replace star quarterback Cam Ward.
Ward, who played at Washington State with Mateer, is a projected first-round pick in numerous CBS Sports mock drafts. With Mateer off the board, it’s unclear if Miami will target another transfer portal or roll with Emory Williams. Williams is former three-star quarterback from the 2023 recruiting who served as Ward’s backup this season.
