Hours after quarterback John Mateer announced his transfer to Oklahoma, his head coach at Washington State Jake Dickert accepted the same position at Wake Forest. One of the reasons Mateer transferred to Oklahoma was to follow offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and quarterbacks coach John Kuceyeski.
Arbuckle and Kuceyeski held the same positions at Washington State this season. On Wednesday, long-time college football analyst Dean Blevins, currently a sports anchor in Oklahoma City, reported that Arbuckle is a potential candidate to replace Jake Dickert as the head coach at Washington State.
Blevins speculated on X "If he were to leave, Mateer could go back to Wazzu or take (a) big money bag from Miami or others. Potential nightmare" (for Oklahoma). Would Mateer stay at Oklahoma if they hired Kuceyeski to replace Arbuckle as the offensive coordinator if the latter left for Washington State?
The potential of Arbuckle returning to Washington State is a development to watch. Would Mateer stay with Oklahoma without Arbuckle? Kuceyeski could potentially replace Arbuckle as the Oklahoma offensive coordinator if Washington State hires him. Would Mateer stay at Oklahoma with Kuceyeski as the offensive coordinator?
For those wondering why we’ve insisted #Sooners get QB John Mateer immediately…now, OU’s new OC Ben Arbuckle is a candidate to become next Wash St HC.
— Dean Blevins (@DeanBlevins) December 18, 2024
If he were to leave, Mateer could go back to Wazzu or take big money 💴 bag from Miami or others. Potential nightmare. @news9
All of the above are worth monitoring. Oklahoma social media has been buzzing with speculation about Arbuckle and what the fallout could be for Mateer. Miami fans were pushing for Mateer before he committed to Oklahoma on Wednesday. Miami may or may not be looking to add a transfer QB for 2025. sc
There has been some speculation that Miami is happy with the QBs on their roster. Emory Williams gained experience as a starter in 2023, had an exceptional game in his one performance in 2024 and could be ready to become the starter in 2025. Miami also has redshirt freshman Judd Anderson and 2025 signee Luke Nickel at QB.
Mario Cristobal, offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson and the Miami staff could have been Mateer or bust like they reportedly were with Cam Ward as a Washington State transfer in 2024. Ward became a Heisman Trophy finalist and won the Davey O'Brien Award as the best QB nationally in 2024.
Miami was reportedly a challenger for Oklahoma before he committed to the Sooners. Mateer threw for 3,139 yards, 29 TDs and seven interceptions with 826 yards rushing and another 15 scores. Emory Williams is the likely starter for Miami in 2025 if they do not add a transfer QB.
Williams completed 11 passes in 12 attempts for 161 yards and a touchdown in relief of Ward during a 62-0 Miami win over Ball State in September. Williams is not nearly as mobile as Mateer or Williams. Surrounding Williams with more playmakers will be critical with the potential that Miami could lose its top five receivers from 2024.