With Monday’s reports that WSU quarterback John Mateer plans to enter the transfer portal and the opening of multiple coaching positions this offseason, Cougar football head coach Jake Dickert will have his hands full this offseason. Dickert will likely shift his focus first to arguably the most important void the team has to fill: the starting quarterback position.
Mateer led all FBS quarterbacks in total touchdowns this season, passing for 29 and rushing for 15. He also totaled 3,139 passing yards and 826 rushing yards as the Cougs’ leading rusher. Mateer finished fifth and sixth respectively among quarterbacks in rushing touchdowns and rushing yards. Dickert said he spoke with Mateer on Sunday night and was informed of his decision.
“John will be the most sought-after player in the portal,” Dickert said. “I think he’s going to be the best player in the country next year and he informed us that he is in fact going to hit the portal.”
With Mateer out the door, the Manning Award Finalist now leaves WSU with massive uncertainty at the quarterback position after a season with several broken records and one of the best WSU quarterback seasons since Gardner Minshew.
With an inexperienced quarterback room left, including soon-to-be sophomores Jaxon Potter and Evans Chuba and redshirt senior Zevi Eckhaus, the Cougs will likely turn to the transfer portal similarly to when the team signed now Heisman Finalist Cam Ward away from Incarnate Word in 2022. While there was competition with Mateer in camp for the starting job and Dickert will certainly look to develop in-house with the addition of three-star QB Steele Pizzella, the depth of this year’s transfer portal is too hard to pass up.
Dickert has previously expressed a desire for a change in the transfer and recruiting processes, and on Monday he expressed concern for how much money is being poured into revenue sharing as well as the confusion that comes with the changing college landscape. He said it is a unique time for his program and that they just have to continue to adjust to the changes.
It is likely unrealistic for WSU to aim high in the QB market and the biggest potential WSU connection has already been taken away.
North Texas QB Chandler Morris played under former WSU offensive coordinator Eric Morris this season but already committed to play for Virginia next season. With the existing QB room, Dickert’s portal hesitance and realistic expectations in mind, here are some potential QB replacements for WSU to target in the portal.
Kaidon Salter, redshirt junior, Liberty
The Liberty starter is the top uncommitted Group of Five transfer quarterback left in the portal and is ranked No. 6 in ESPN’s latest transfer quarterback rankings. The 6-foot-1 dual-threat quarterback has been a part of an increasingly successful mid-major program for the last four seasons including a historic 13-0 run in 2023 that concluded with a Conference USA title and an entry in the Fiesta Bowl. This season the Flames went an underwhelming 8-3, but in a run-heavy offense Salter threw for 1,886 yards and ran for 587 and led the team to an appearance in the Bahamas Bowl.
Salter makes the most of two approaches the Cougs may use as they scrounge through the portal’s offerings. By poaching from Liberty, the Cougs can take the approach of shooting for solid QBs from Group of Five or lower tier FBS programs while finding names that are on the rise that they could potentially pair with a new and bright-minded offensive coordinator. WSU could potentially bring in Salter and co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Willy Korn, especially given Korn’s recent success with Coastal Carolina and Liberty where he turned the Flames into a top five offense in 2023.
Salter is a dynamic quarterback with running ability, reminiscent of John Mateer’s play style, who has plenty of playing experience and started off as a top-50 recruit signed by Tennesseee.
Caden Veltkamp, redshirt sophomore, Western Kentucky
Veltkamp is one of the top names in Group of Five circles after a strong season with the Conference USA runner-ups. Veltkamp threw for over 2,000 passing yards and 23 touchdown passes as the Hilltoppers went 8-5 before losing to Jacksonville State in the conference title game.
Veltkamp was in the transfer portal a year ago after being told to switch positions to tight end, but has been riding high off a string of successes ever since. He put on a standout performance at last year’s Famous Toastery Bowl, throwing five touchdown passes in a 28-point comeback against Old Dominion, the fourth-largest in bowl game history.
Veltkamp took over for starter Austin Reed in that game and got the starting job this season after Texas State transfer TJ Finley went down with an injury. He threw just 10 interceptions this season and added seven touchdowns on the ground.
The Hilltoppers starter has an indirect connection to WSU through now ex-offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle. Before being hired away by Oklahoma and being the coordinator and QB coach at WSU for three seasons, Arbuckle was the QB coach and co-offensive coordinator at WKU. He coached Veltkamp during his freshman season where the Hilltoppers were sixth in the nation in total offense before he led WSU to fourth in the same category in 2023. While the redshirt sophomore did not start that season, he is still in part a product of Arbuckle, one of the fastest rising names on the offensive side of the ball in college football.
The quarterback’s 6-foot-6-inch, 230-pound frame combined with his athleticism gives WSU’s next offensive coordinator plenty to work with and coach Dickert with an option that has a high amount of potential.
Preston Stone, redshirt junior, Southern Methodist
Stone was the No. 121 overall recruit in the class of 2021 and was ranked the No. 5 dual-threat QB by 247Sports Composite rankings. After sitting two years behind starter Tanner Mordecai, Stone stepped into the lead role in 2023 and did not look back. He threw for 3,197 yards and had 32 total touchdowns against just six interceptions. His 28 touchdown passes ranked No. 6 in the nation and his Mustangs captured the AAC championship before SMU transitioned to the ACC.
Stone suffered a leg injury in the 2023 regular-season finale though and was overtaken by Kevin Jennings. After being given a chance to start the first three games of this season, Stone was benched for Jennings in the Mustangs’ 18-15 loss to BYU and Jennings proceeded to lead SMU to the ACC championship game and the No. 11 seed in the College Football Playoff. Stone is reportedly planning to remain with the team through the playoff before mulling his transfer decision.
Stone is a winner and an accomplished player who had plenty to offer as a passer coming out of high school. Stone is nowhere near the shifty, two-way player that Mateer was, but he may provide the steady hand and consistent play that Dickert is looking for in a rapidly changing college football landscape. Plus Dickert can have his hand at digging out some of the last raw potential Stone showcased as a highly-touted high school prospect.
Malachi Nelson, redshirt freshman, Boise State
Nelson presents a player with a big name, but also a lot to learn. The California native was ranked No. 1 by ESPN in the 2023 recruiting class and was heavily recruited by major programs including Alabama, Arizona State and USC where he would end up landing for his first season. Scouts praised his play-making ability and elite arm talent coming out of high school, with 247 Sports scouting analyst Gabe Brooks saying that Nelson was “perhaps the most natural thrower in an excellent 2023 QB group”. He was also compared to Green Bay Packers QB Jordan Love.
Nelson redshirted his first season at USC after appearing in one game and then transferred to Boise State where he appeared in three games, completing just 12 passes in cleanup for starter Maddux Madsen. With Madsen likely to return as the starter for the Broncos, Nelson entered the transfer portal and possesses some of the most raw talent among QBs in the portal.
Many more experienced and proven names have been thrown around as top targets, but very few bring the potential and prospect pedigree that Nelson does.
Nelson competed in a close battle for the starting job with Madsen and arguably deserved that job given Madsen’s limitations that have been on display several times this season. Nelson is 6-foot-3 and already has the arm talent and pocket awareness to give him a head start. He is young and has played at two strong football programs. He has room to bulk up and to take advantage of his athleticism to turn into a dual-threat. With the green light to take over the reigns and simply get more reps in, Nelson could flourish under Dickert and with the right playcaller.
Boise State is also planning to move to the Pac-12 conference in 2026, presenting a new perennial rival for WSU to face. The Cougs are beginning to develop closer ties with the Broncos and may have looked at Nelson too as a part of the scouting process before their loss to Boise State on the Blue Turf earlier this season.
Sam Huard, redshirt senior, Utah
Huard is similar to Nelson in that he was a big name recruit, but his college career is in a much different place. Huard is in his final year of college eligiblity after playing two seasons at Washington, transferring to Cal Poly and then not seeing any action after being ruled out for the season due to surgery for an unspecified injury.
The Ute backup was the No. 15 ranked player on ESPN and the second-ranked player in the state of Washington and committed to play for the Huskies in 2021. After appearing in just five games across two years for UW, he became the starter at Cal Poly where he made strides at the FCS level throwing for 2,205 yards and 18 touchdowns. Looking to be the Power 4 starter he was expected to be coming out of high school, Huard transferred to Utah but was limited by the aforementioned injuries.
Huard has not yet flashed the abilities that made him such a highly-recruited player, but he has had a significant amount of time to learn and is likely hungry for an opportunity to prove himself and finish his career strong.
Huard was praised by scouts for his quickness and effectiveness in his throwing release and his decision-making. The journeyman would likely be more of a flier for Dickert and his staff as he still has much to prove and is more fit for a battle for the starting job with the other players in the current QB room.
With the current transfer portal and NIL landscape, the Cougs sit in a tough position in a confusing time. The more traditional Dickert has a significant decision ahead of him and will likely have to reach outside of his comfort zone to ensure his program maintains positive results next season and beyond.
Dickert expressed confidence in his program though and pointed to Mateer’s decision as a marker of success.
“The biggest thing for our program is it proves once again that our process is working,” Dickert said. “Our process is working right? We’re offering a bunch of kids that have no other power five offers and we’re developing them into something really really special.”
