PULLMAN, Wash. — We now know who will be the new starting quarterback for the Washington State Cougars.
Head Coach Jake Dickert named redshirt sophomore John Mateer as the starting QB for the Cougs this season.
Mateer was competing for the starting quarterback job with Bryant transfer Zevi Eckhaus.
"I am very convicted in this decision, this wasn't a straw pull, this wasn't asking every coach what they thought, this was me and Coach Arbuckle sitting down and doing what is best for the Cougs and we believe that is what we did," Dickert said.
The Little Elm, Texas, native, served as the backup to Cam Ward the last two seasons, who transferred to the University of Miami (FL) this past offseason.
Mateer had few offers coming out of high school and seemed destined for the FCS level before former WSU offensive coordinator Eric Morris found his tape and brought him to Coach Dickert's attention.
"It means a lot, the goal was always to play power five ball and unfortunately at first, I didn't know if that was going to happen. Nothing came up, I didn't sign early and I was like what do I have to do to make this happen, you know. I just had to wait and be patient. Two weeks before the second signing day, the call came from Coach Morris to come up here and it just worked out perfectly. I am truly blessed to be in this position and it should be a lot of fun," Mateer said.
Mateer played in all 12 games last year for WSU, completing 13-17 passes for 235 and two touchdowns, along with one interception. Mateer also rushed 20 times for 61 yards and three touchdowns and even caught two passes for 14 yards.
It was his work ethic that stuck out to Coach Dickert over his first three years in the WSU program that helped Mateer have the opportunity to compete for the starting job.
"The more I got to know John, he was the right guy, he really was. The moment he got here, he would be going through plays by himself at night at 10 pm when I was leaving the office and I'm like, 'Who is down there in the dark?', it was John Mateer. Those are the days that lead to these big moments," Dickert said.
Mateer's biggest game last season was against Northern Colorado, where he threw for 148 yards and two touchdowns.
Not to be lost in the decision was the job Zevi Eckhaus did throughout camp pushing Mateer to be at his best.
"He will thank Zevi. Zevi came in here, pushed him, challenged him, showed him what leadership is. John owes a lot to Zevi's professionalism to come in here and just work," Dickert said.
"I don't think I had the right mindset going into it at first. I was like, 'Man I can push myself like why is he here this or that or whatever,' but no it is a good thing it happened. I appreciate Zevi, I appreciate the way they did it because I am better because of it and the team is better because of it and it will pay off because now the job truly begins, we got to go win some games," Mateer said.
The 2024-25 season for WSU kicks off Saturday, August 31 against Portland State, where we will now see Mateer take charge of the WSU offense for the first time.