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Cam Ward 2.0? Greg McElroy considers John Mateer’s potential impact at Oklahoma

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Cam Ward spent 2 years at Washington State, then parlayed his 1 season at Miami last fall into being the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft this spring.

Well, there is the possibility this fall that a Washington State transfer could have a similar effect on a prominent program. That history-rich program is Oklahoma, and the potential transfer quarterback gem is John Mateer, who spent 3 years at Washington State from 2022-24, so he heavily overlapped with Ward.

When Ward headed south to Miami for the 2024 season, Mateer took over in Pullman and showed he was for real — at least, in the Pacific Northwest. He threw for 3,139 yards, with 29 touchdown passes and just 7 interceptions, and he showed his versatility by rushing for an astounding 826 yards. He was a true dual-threat quarterback, and now he’s Oklahoma’s potential prize in 2025 after transferring to Norman and following offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle.

Could Mateer actually provide a Washington State transfer sequel to Ward’s brilliance in 2024? On his Always College Football podcast recently, Greg McElroy broke down just that. McElroy, who knows a little something about playing quarterback at the highest level after leading Alabama to the 2009 national title, is high on Mateer’s potential impact this fall.

“What if John Mateer is Cam Ward 2.0? Both Mateer and Ward were outrageously productive out at Washington State. If this were to come to fruition, not only would Oklahoma be thrust into the Playoff conversation. I’ll take it one step further — I think Oklahoma could win the national championship,” said McElroy.

Here is the full video clip of McElroy comparing Mateer’s impact to Ward’s:

Over the next 4 months or so, we’ll have a chance to find out if McElroy was just making noise in mid-August or if his bold preseason words had true value to them.

Cory Nightingale

Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.