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Washington State quarterback John Mateer entered the transfer portal on Monday and is widely considered the best player available at the time of his decision.
"John will be the most sought-after player in the portal. I think he's gonna be the best player in the country next year. He informed us he is in fact going to hit the portal," Washington State coach Jake Dickert said Monday.
Mateer led the FBS in total touchdowns (44) in his first season as a starter in 2024, compiling 3,139 yards with 29 touchdown passes and seven interceptions and rushing for 826 yards with 15 scores.
Mateer, who transfers with two years eligibility remaining, stepped into the starting spot when Cam Ward opted to transfer to Miami, where he became a Heisman Trophy finalist this season.
Washington State was the only Division I offer Mateer received coming out of Little Elm, Texas, but Ward said his talent was abundantly clear from the time he hit campus.
"I'm excited for him," Ward said before the Heisman ceremony of Mateer. "He sat behind me for two years and me and John (were) just locked in, locked in for life. And I can just tell the biggest thing he got better at over the course of the season was staying in the pocket and winning from the pocket even more down the stretch. He's accurate with the football. I think he'll end up being one of the best quarterbacks in the country next year."
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American Conference commissioner addresses Memphis-UTSA leaked playbook scandal
A former Memphis football player has been accused of sharing the team’s playbook with an opponent before the two schools played one another last year, but American Conference commissioner Tim Pernetti believes the story has been blown out of proportion. TigerSportsReport, which is part of the On3 network, reported last week that former Memphis safety Tahj Ra-El shared some of Memphis’ defensive playbook with UTSA before the two teams played on Nov. 2 last year. UTSA won the game 44-36. Then on Thursday, TigerSportsReport obtained a screenshot that claimed to show direct messages that were exchanged between Ra-El and UTSA quarterback Owen McCown. The messages featured a photo of what appeared to be a playbook and Ra-El telling McCown “that’s all the signals.” Ra-El also appeared to tell McCown that one of Memphis’ players was injured. McCown threw for threw for 280 yards and 4 touchdowns in UTSA’s win over Memphis, which was nationally ranked at the time. Ra-El transferred to Purdue this offseason. There were reports that he had left Memphis last October, but TigerSportsReport was told Ra-El was dismissed by the Tigers. On Friday, Pernetti told reporters that he believes the story about the leaked playbook has been “sensationalized.” “We’re aware of it and we’re supporting the schools in it, but what I can tell you is there’s really not much to this story. I think a lot of it has been sensationalized. Some of it, I think quite frankly, is clickbait,” Pernetti said. If Ra-El was, indeed, dismissed from Memphis, it is not hard to believe that he would have had an axe to grind with the team. That makes it more plausible that he shared sensitive information with an opposing player, especially if he was not even playing for the Tigers at the time.
Why as many as 100 NFL players are facing fines and potential suspension
There is not a bigger sporting event in North America than the Super Bowl, and tickets are only getting more expensive every year. There is also a ridiculous secondary market for tickets where seats sell for well above the original face value. It is usually fans or ticket resellers going for a quick profit. But as was reported on Friday, sometimes it can be players in the NFL looking to make a profit. According to multiple reports, including the Associated Press and ESPN, more than 100 players are facing fines and potential suspensions for selling their allotment of tickets to this year's Super Bowl between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs for above face value. Players are reportedly facing fines of one-and-a-half times the face value they originally paid for the tickets, while they are also prevented from purchasing tickets to the Super Bowl for the next seasons. The Associated Press obtained a memo from the NFL detailing the violation and investigation. That memo was as follows: “Our initial investigation has determined that a number of NFL players and coaches, employed by several NFL Clubs, sold Super Bowl tickets for more than the ticket’s face value in violation of the Policy. This long-standing League Policy, which is specifically incorporated into the Collective Bargaining Agreement, prohibits League or Club employees, including players, from selling NFL game tickets acquired from their employer for more than the ticket’s face value or for an amount greater than the employee originally paid for the ticket, whichever is less. We are in the process of completing our investigation into this matter, but the investigation has revealed that club employees and players sold their tickets to a small number of ‘bundlers’ who were working with a ticket reseller to sell the Super Bowl tickets above face value.” If players are not willing to pay the fine, they could be facing suspension from the league. It seems unlikely that any of the players — none of whom have been named, or their teams — would refuse to pay such a fine. It's also one of those moments where you can say, professional athletes — they're still normal people trying to make a quick buck. The most logical answer here is perhaps some of the players caught up in this are younger players who have not yet struck it rich on a big contract or perhaps even practice squad players who are not making top dollar.
Nick Saban responds to speculation about coaching return amid NFL rumors
Shortly after former Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback and current college football analyst Greg McElroy shared that someone "in the know" believes there's a possibility Nick Saban — who retired in January 2024 — might return to coaching, NFL insider Albert Breer suggested that the Dallas Cowboys could be a potential destination for the seven-time national champion. According to Mike Rodak of 247Sports, Saban was asked during a Friday appearance on Fox News if he intends to come out of retirement. "No, I'm really happy with what I'm doing right now," Saban responded. "It's exciting to still be involved in the game. It's exciting for me to work with athletic directors, conference commissioners, people in Congress to preserve the integrity of our game and continue to be able to create opportunities to help young people create value for their future that will help them be successful in their life, which is what we always try to do as a coach." Saban, now working as an ESPN analyst, will be 74 in October. Per Christian Datoc of the Washington Examiner, President Donald Trump could consider having Saban "lead a new commission examining problems arising with the growth of name, image, and likeness (NIL) rights and coinciding changes to the NCAA transfer process." Meanwhile, it's thought that Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones could look to hire a big-name candidate if first-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer fails to impress during the 2025 campaign. Additionally, Fox Sports personality Colin Cowherd recently hinted that Saban could be interested in becoming the head coach of the Cleveland Browns if the team selects Texas quarterback Arch Manning as the first pick in the 2026 draft. "There is no opportunity that I know of right now that would enhance me to go back to coaching," Saban added during Friday's segment. "I enjoy what I'm doing. I did it for 50 years. I loved it. I loved the relationships with the players. I loved the competition. But it's another station of life now. I enjoy what I'm doing right now and want to continue to do it — spend more time with my family, my grandchildren, my children. It's been really, really good." The "right now" portion of Saban's comments attracted the attention of Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, who was quick to point out he did not say "no for good" regarding a return to coaching. In short, it seems that rumors about Saban's future could hover over the college and pro football communities through at least the rest of the year.
ESPN Predicts Mets-Twins Trade One Week Before Deadline
The New York Mets are a half-game ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies for first place in the NL East, but their pitching staff is still injury-ravaged despite the recent returns of Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas. Brandon Waddell (hip), Dedniel Nuñez (elbow), Max Kranick (flexor), Paul Blackburn (shoulder), Tylor Megill (elbow), Griffin Canning (Achilles), Drew Smith (elbow), A.J. Minter (lat), Danny Young (elbow), and Christian Scott (elbow) are alll on the Mets' IL. The MLB Trade Deadline is July 31 at 6 p.m. EST, so the front office has one week to add healthy arms from around the league this season. ESPN's David Schoenfield predicted on Thursday that New York would trade for a Minnesota Twins reliever. "One guarantee of the trade deadline: The Mets will add to the bullpen, probably with more than one trade. Though the rotation still ranks fifth in ERA, that was built off a hot start," he wrote. "More importantly, the only Mets starter to complete six innings since June 7 has been David Peterson. As a result, manager Carlos Mendoza has run relievers Reed Garrett, Huascar Brazoban, Jose Butto and Ryne Stanek into the ground. The bullpen had a 2.78 ERA through May, but that figure is over 5.00 since the beginning of June (ranking near the bottom of the majors)." "The Twins have two high-profile relievers in [Jhoan] Duran and [Griffin] Jax, both of whom are under team control through 2027, so they'll be much more expensive than your usual short-term relievers if the Twins decide to trade one or both," he continued. "Duran would be harder to deal -- but bring more in return -- so we'll say Jax will go. Don't be fooled by his 4.09 ERA: He has 68 strikeouts and 12 walks in 44 innings with a 97-mph heater. He's an elite strikeout reliever, the type you want on the mound in October." The Mets are hot despite their injuries, as they're on a four-game winning streak and just swept the Los Angeles Angels. Next up is a road trip against the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres. New York right-handed pitcher Clay Holmes (8-5, 3.48 ERA) will face Giants right-hander Logan Webb (9-7, 3.08 ERA) on Friday.
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