Former Coug QB John Mateer is officially headed to the University of Oklahoma, where he will join former WSU offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle as a Sooner.

He announced his decision with a post on his instagram account captioned “Santa came early and he’s a sooner.”

Mateer was reportedly pursued by the University of North Carolina and the University of Miami. UNC, now coached by the NFL legend Bill Belichick, reportedly offered Mateer the largest NIL deal in NCAA history, according to Chris Hummer of CBS Sports.

“I think the message was that he was the top quarterback in the portal,” Mateer’s high school coach Kendrick Brown told 247sports.

Mateer apparently was pursued aggressively by UNC, as Belichick searched for his QB of the future. He was face-timed by NFL legends Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski in an effort to convince Mateer to make the move to the east coast.

Oklahoma reportedly countered with a call from Baker Mayfield, former Heisman-winning quarterback and current Tampa Bay Buccaneers starter. Mateer has been compared to Mayfield, as the two passers play with a similar aggressive style.

According to John Canzano, Auburn was also interested, having offered Mateer an NIL of over $1.5 million in October.

However, the pitch from Oklahoma ultimately won out. Mateer will reportedly earn over $3 million, and the allure of living close to home certainly must have helped. Mateer comes from Little Elm, Texas, which is just two-and-a-half hours south of Norman, where the University of Oklahoma is located.

Now headed to the SEC alongside his former OC and QB coach, Mateer still has a lot to prove but will be surrounded by a talented roster that has the resources to help him reach the next level.