The Oklahoma Sooners landed the top overall player in the NCAA [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag] on Wednesday. Former Washington State quarterback [autotag]John Mateer[/autotag] signed with OU and head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag], following his former offensive coordinator [autotag]Ben Arbuckle[/autotag] to Norman.
Simply put, Mateer was the guy that Oklahoma had to have. Without him, OU wouldn’t have had a veteran option at the position. Now, the Sooners have their QB and offensive playcaller in place for a make-or-break season in 2025. Even better is the fact that they’ve worked well together before.
As the top quarterback in the portal, it was only a matter of time before his move to OU landed on a list of the most notable transfer portal quarterback moves. CBS Sports staff writer Will Backus has a list that is exactly that, and he gave Oklahoma’s signing of Mateer an A+.
Mateer is following his offensive coordinator, Ben Arbuckle, to Norman. In 2024, those two produced 3,965 total yards of offense and a whopping 44 touchdowns both on the ground and through the air. Mateer also completed an impressive 65% of his passes while averaging just over 14 yards per completion. It’s appropriate to feel quite bullish on Mateer’s future with Oklahoma. – Backus, CBS Sports
Aside from Mateer landing at Oklahoma, only Devon Dampier (Utah), Darian Mensah (Duke) and Miller Moss (Louisville) earned “A” grades, but none of them graded above Mateer. Of course, Backus’ list is in no way comprehensive, as the portal will be open until Dec. 28.