Washington State quarterback John Mateer is expected to enter the transfer portal, per CBS Sports. The redshirt sophomore has two years of eligibility remaining.

Mateer led the Cougars to an 8-4 record in 2024, as the quarterback threw for 3,139 yards and 29 touchdowns while rushing for 826 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground. Mateer finished the regular season ranked No. 5 in the nation in total individual offensive production, producing 330.4 yards per game.

The 6-foot-1, 219-pound quarterback backed up Cam Ward in 2023, playing in all 12 games coming off the bench. Similar to Ward a year ago, Mateer is instantly viewed as one of the top available quarterbacks available on the transfer marker. With two years of eligibility remaining, he will be one of the most sought-after quarterbacks.

Mateer has thrown for 3,406 career yards and was a three-star recruit coming out of high school. The quarterback held offers from a range of FCS schools, with Washington State standing as one of his lone FBS offers.

The Little Elm High (Texas) product threw for 2,449 yards as a senior in 2021, breaking a single-season school record that he’d set one year before with 2,268 yards. Schools like Auburn, Wisconsin, Michigan, Florida State, Missouri and Iowa are expected to be in the market for a portal quarterback this offseason. Washington State will close the year bowl-eligible and is averaging 36.8 points per game.

The transfer officially opens on Monday, Dec. 9, 2024. More than 2,800 FBS scholarship players entered their names into the NCAA’s transfer database during the 2023-24 school year. Removing those who withdrew or went pro, the final total sat at 2,707 transfers. That means roughly 25% of all FBS scholarship players hit free agency in one year.

BY ROBERTA COCKING

It’s not too late to sign up for the 8th grade spring break trip to Washington, DC. In fact, the trip would be a great idea for a perfect Christmas present for your 8th grade student! There are currently 11 airline seats/ trip spaces left for the trip. Deadline for the trip at the current price is January 10, 2025. After that date, it will still be possible to sign up, however, there might be an increase to the trip price due to late charges, increased airline or hotel prices.

Flexible payment plans and fundraising tools are available.  The trip is a private trip and not a school sponsored trip and has been offered to Los Alamos Middle School students for over 35 years.

The trip will include round trip air transportation, sightseeing, transportation in and around Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, Maryland, all meals and admissions, hotel accommodations, night chaperones in hotel, accident and health insurance. An on-call doctor is available for student illness or emergencies. Highlights of the trip include the White House, the International Spy Museum, a Capitol tour, the Pentagon Memorial, the Washington Monument, the Holocaust Museum, the Smithsonian museums, the National Zoo, Arlington National Cemetery, night tours of the Presidential Monuments, the Iwo Jima, Korean, and the Vietnam Memorials, the National Aquarium in Baltimore and much more. Four students will be selected to lay the morning wreath at Arlington National Cemetery Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The trip will be four days and three nights in duration. The group will stay in a five star hotel in Arlington or Crystal City, minutes from the DC sites.

Here are a few comments from parents and students regarding previous trips:

“I am so grateful for Roberta and the staff at Worldstrides! They organized an unforgettable trip in DC and Baltimore for the Los Alamos students and myself. Their knowledge of the city, museums, transportation, etc.  allowed them to stay flexible in bad weather, make alternative schedules when things were closed and they kept the kids busy each and every moment of every day. I lived in DC for several years and I never saw the city in the way I did with Roberta!”  -April Wade

“The DC trip was so much fun and educational. It was amazing how many things we got to see in the time we were there! The city is beautiful and has so much history for our kids to learn from. From a parent’s perspective, it was fun to watch from a distance as my child interacted with other kids on the trip. It was fun to have them learn some safe independence and spread their wings a bit. This trip will not be forgotten. The education and memories will last a lifetime. Truly a fabulous experience!”- Christi Haynes.

“ This trip was the best of my life! I learned that I have a lot of friends in my school that I didn’t even know that I had.”

“I learned a lot on my trip to DC. It was amazing, educational and FUN! I learned a lot about the memorials, Presidents and wars! If I could go on this trip again, I would in a second!”

“I now have so much more respect for our country than I did before! Seeing all the people who died for our freedom was special to me. Without them, we wouldn’t have the life that I know. I gained a lot of knowledge. I never really knew about the wars and events until we saw them on this trip. I had never thought much about wars that my grandparents had served in until this trip. I especially loved laying the wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It was special to me because my grandparents served our country.”

“This trip changed me in so many ways. I learned so much about our government, not only from books but now in person. I became really good friends with people who went on this trip. I also learned a valuable lesson on how to handle my money.”

“This trip has changed me because of the Holocaust Museum. This museum made me realize what freedom really is and how much we should value our life. It made me realize how horrible it was and why we should never let it happen again.”

“I love history! This trip made me love it even more! I have been to Washington, DC many times. This was my favorite time! I have learned more history on this trip than in school. I also made tons of new friends. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity!”

“This trip has done many things for me. I have become closer to my classmates. I have become more responsible because of this trip. Being away from home made me  be more responsible. I had to wake up on time, manage my money and always be back to the bus on time. I feel more like a young adult now!” 

“This trip has changed me as a person in many ways. It has opened my eyes to many things that I otherwise would not have realized, understood or even cared about. I now understand the things people gave up so that this nation and all the people in it can live in freedom. This trip showed me how reading from a textbook and looking at pictures can only do so much for you. Many people died fighting for our country and are remembered and thanked for it in this city. I would have never known, understood or cared about this!”

“Because of this trip, I have finally learned to like myself!”

Sign up at https://worldstrdes.com/custom/2025-los-alamos-middle-school-dc-215374/ using Trip ID # 215374 call 1-800-468-5899. Questions? Call Roberta Cocking at 505-670-0679 or email her at scrc318@cox.net or robertac@worldstrides.com

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