COMMENTARY: Don’t blame the kid, blame the system

PULLMAN — “Abraham Lucas, Washington State.”

Coug fans who tuned in to NBC’s Sunday Night Football on Sunday could at least celebrate Lucas, an NFL starter, declaring his crimson and gray alma mater in his player introduction during the opening minutes of the Seattle Seahawks’ 30-13 loss to the Green Bay Packers.

Those same WSU fans learned soon after that they would likely never get to hear Cougar quarterback John Mateer say “John Mateer, Washington State” on a future NFL broadcast as news of the sophomore signal-caller’s WSU departure spread overnight.

An increasing number of players turning pro in recent years could list two, three or even four or more colleges if allotted the time. Not to mention a high, middle or elementary school shoutout as has become common.

While listing multiple schools in what is supposed to be a three-second clip is not feasible, the fact that it’s even a conversation is a window into how much college football has changed, even within the past five years.

Former WSU quarterback Cam Ward, a 2024 Heisman Trophy finalist and likely NFL first-round pick, could say “Cam Ward, Incarnate Word, Washington State, Miami,” during his player introduction.

Each school played a role in developing him. Incarnate Word gave him his first chance, Wazzu provided a bigger stage and more money and Miami provided him a shot at a national championship (keyword “shot”), a boosted NFL draft profile and a lot more money. All that in addition to the skills, mentors and lessons he gained at each stop.

Such could be the trajectory of yet another WSU quarterback.

Mateer — the third-year sophomore signal-caller who burst onto the scene with top-10 passing numbers and a dynamic run style that left defenders tackling air or falling into the end zone with him — entered the college football transfer portal on Monday after spending the weekend with his family.

Mateer’s 330 yards of total offense per game were the fifth-most in the country and his 44 total touchdowns (29 passing, 15 rushing) led the nation in a season in which he led WSU to an 8-4 record and key wins over Texas Tech and Washington.

The Little Elm, Texas, native could be headed to Oklahoma, a Southeastern Conference school less than 200 miles from his home.

That move would reunite him with Ben Arbuckle, his offensive coordinator at WSU, who two weeks ago took the same position in Norman. Mateer’s quarterbacks coach John Kuceyeski followed Arbuckle from WSU to Oklahoma last week.

WSU coach Jake Dickert said that the Cougar Collective assembled a seven-figure name, image and likeness offer for Mateer.

Other schools have reportedly exceeded what WSU can deliver, with one unnamed school offering Mateer about $3 million.

“He had to make a big decision for his life,” Dickert said. “John will be the most sought-after player in the portal. I think he’s going to be the best player in the country next year.

Biggest thing for our program is it proves, once again, our process is working. We’re offering a bunch of kids that have no other power five offers. We’re developing (them) into something really, really special.”

As for whether the NIL opportunities that the Cougar Collective assembled for Mateer could be given to other players, Dickert gave a noncommittal answer:

“I don’t know,” Dickert said. “We’ll love to check through that.”

It is likely that the complete range of NIL support that was raised for Mateer is not transferable as the business’ return on investment, outside of helping WSU win games, would not be the same if partnered with almost any other player.

Mateer has the chance to be one of, if not the best quarterback in college football, contend for the Heisman Trophy and thus be a broadly recognizable name.

Other players on WSU’s roster and any incoming transfers would lack the brand and name recognition that Mateer already has, and would thus make the businesses and organizations that would have given him a collective $1 million significantly less on their investment.

The challenge for WSU will be to convince enough potential donors/partners to put the egg in front of the chicken and pay for players to play at WSU, thus building a winning team and creating value for their business.

Many things are true about this situation, but it in short boils down to the following:

The smooth-talking Texan would have been an instant WSU legend if he returned, even for one more year. In addition to making $1 million, Mateer would have been a guiding light in a unique 2025 WSU season. A season similar to the one he had in 2024 would have vaulted him further in the record books and cemented him in the hearts of Cougar faithful.

There are over a dozen Cougs active in the NFL who made WSU their final stop. Dickert has said that players can accomplish their pro football goals from WSU. That is still true.

Mateer is absolutely within his right to transfer. How could you ask a 20-year-old kid to turn down $3 million, the chance to play on ESPN every week against the best in college football and expand his pro football chances?

Did Mateer make the “right decision.” Yes.

Would it have been the “right decision” for him to stay? Also yes.

Mateer leaves Pullman with life-changing money and extraordinary opportunity. Coug fans would do well for their own mental health to wish him well and direct their grievances to the powers that be that have traded century-old traditions for the almighty dollar.

Players should receive a slice of college football’s billion-dollar pie. The problem is their slice is not coming from the NCAA’s kitchen, rather they are depending on fans’ tips and boosters’ deep pockets.

This has opened the floodgates to unregulated free agency and decimated smaller programs like WSU as schools up the food chain use them as uncompensated minor leagues.

Dickert went so far as to say that "there are no rules" and that he feels that teams would be behind if they did not recruit other school's rosters.

“You know, 10 years ago, this time of year, you would put your feet up. At night, I’d be drinking a beer and celebrating bringing back one of the best teams in Washington State history next year,” Dickert said. “December has changed quite a bit, and not just for us.”

Blame the system, not the kid.

Taylor can be reached at 208-848-2268, staylor@lmtribune.com or on X (formerly Twitter) @Sam_C_Taylor.